To Be the Very Best
by The Average Mailman
Summary: Every time Ash came close to winning a league, victory was snatched from his grasp each time. Ash and his friends start to doubt his abilities. However, his friends might push him too far. R&R. Ash/OC Sporadic Updates. Usually every chapter every month but no promise.
1. Stolen Dreams

**Sorry guys! Late upload. Going to be totally honest, I forgot today was Tuesday and I was gonna upload a short story today. We don't have one typed, so I'm just posting the first chapter of the betrayal story. Nothing really happened yet. review and let me know what you think. Next update should be in a week as I don't want to promise anything. This week/weekend has been super hectic. Things keep coming up. Sorry. Enjoy :)**

 **Chapter 1: Stolen Dreams**

Ash fell to his knees and watched as the last of his Pokemon fell. He felt every blow as his Greninja was pummeled by Mega Charizard X. He winced  
as the Charizard's jaws closed around Greninja, and whipped his head to the side, throwing him. Greninja crashed to the ground, as immobile as  
Ash's dreams. Ash looked helplessly at his opponent, as the Charizard roared in victory. Across the field, Alan looked at Ash, his opponent… no... his  
friend. Although moments ago Alan had been filled with the fires of battle, he felt nothing but pity for his recently beaten opponent. Ash looked up, his  
face a mixture of sadness and desperation.  
"Return… Greninja…" Ash spoke slowly, raising the Pokeball and withdrawing Greninja. Alan walked slowly over to Ash, as the Charizard reverted  
back to its normal form.  
"Guess you can't win 'em all, right, Ash?"  
Ash looked up at Alan's questioning face. He slowly stood up, his hat shielding his eyes from view. No one spoke for a few seconds. Then, Ash lifted  
his head to reveal a bright smile.  
"Man, that was a tough fight. Good match, Alan." Ash said cheerfully. He shook his hand with gusto. Alan was taken aback at first by what looked  
like a quick change in attitude but he shook it off. He grinned back at Ash.  
"Yeah, your Greninja held its own against my Charizard. We've been together for a long time." Alan looked back at his Charizard and winked. The  
fire pokemon grinned back. He turned back towards Ash and put his hand on his shoulder.  
"There's always next year." Alan reassured Ash. Ash gave a weak smile in return.  
They both became aware of the crowd's cheers and their friends shouts at the same moment. The announcer's booming voice echoed throughout  
the stadium, making it nearly impossible for the fighters to decipher what he was saying.  
Alan recalled his Charizard, giving a short fist pump at his victory. He wanted to celebrate more, but he also didn't want to rub it in Ash's face. He  
knew how hard he tried, just to fail. Alan himself had gone through many defeats, and he knew how rough it could be to pour your heart and soul  
into a battle, just to lose in the end anyway.  
Ash turned towards the trainer's exit and began walking slowly towards it. The crowd was still in a bustle and the announcer was still shouting,  
but to Ash it was deathly quiet. His eyes roamed over the stands and found his friends, who waved. Ash raised his arm half-heartedly and motioned  
that he was leaving. Without waiting to see their response he began walking into the cool tunnel, away from the battle arena.

Ash sighed. The spectacular view of the rolling valley was a magnificent sight to behold. His legs dangled over the cliff's edge as he brooded.  
Pikachu slept next to him and he pet his head slowly and deliberately, deep in thought. His flight was scheduled to leave soon, but he didn't think  
he'd be joining his friends. He didn't want to hear them talk excitedly about the battle, didn't want to hear their lamentation about his loss, didn't  
want to hear anything. He was sick and tired of losing. Ash had been traveling the world for over ten years, but he'd never actually won an important  
league. There were always trainers better, faster, stronger, and smarter than him. Oh, he was happy that his friend got to challenge the league  
champion now, but damn if he wasn't a little jealous that it wouldn't be him up there, getting to feel the thrill of the battle, overtaking the champion,  
getting to enter his name and team into the hall of fame…  
He bowed his head, finally letting emotion overtake him. He'd held it together at the scene of the battle, mostly for Alan. He didn't want to cheapen  
his victory, but it had been hard not to scream out in frustration. He definitely wouldn't be joining his friends on the flight. He needed time alone. He'd  
entered six leagues, and won none. He'd lost to a trainer who'd just started his journey. A Snivy, who'd never been in a battle in its short life, had  
destroyed his Pikachu, as strong as it was. How was that even possible? He was a failure. Not only a failure to his Pokemon, but a failure to himself,  
as well. Hundreds of memories of trainers calling him weak flashed across his mind. They never got to him before, but now he had a new perspective.  
He was weak. Pikachu stirred, and Ash spared him a glance before determining he was still asleep. Feeling hopelessness for the first time in a long  
time time, Ash wept.

It was a bittersweet moment when he crossed the town border into Pallet Town. He hadn't seen his home town since the very beginning of his  
journey that he'd just completed a couple days ago. It felt like a great weight was being lifted off of his shoulders as he stepped into his familiar  
homeland, but a new one was added just as soon as he thought about facing his mom and admitting to her that for the sixth time in a row he'd failed  
to complete the league. She probably already knew from the coverage of the fight, but seeing her face to face was another thing altogether.  
He began to get more and more nervous as he got closer to his front door, to the point where he was practically dragging his legs as he reached  
the welcome mat. He raised his fist to knock at the door, but before his hand could connect with the wood the door was opened. His eyes met the  
shocked ones of his mother.  
"Ash! You're back! Welcome home!" His mother cried excitedly, as she gave him a hug. Ash mumbled out a reply, but his mother was already  
stampeding over him. "Most of your friends are already here!"  
 _Great,_ Ash thought, _more people to witness my failure_. Outwardly, he grinned. "Great." He said with barely passable fake enthusiasm.

Dinner was silent. Ash didn't bring up the ordeal, and neither did any of the others at the table. It seemed like almost everyone he knew from his  
journeys through the regions that he had befriended was there, including Professor Oak. They kept stealing glances at him when they thought he  
wasn't looking, but he kept catching them with his peripheral vision. When he went to make eye contact, though, they quickly looked back at their  
food. Or the wall. Or the potted plant in the corner. Or literally anything else but him.  
Ash finally put down his fork and cleared his throat. Instantly, all eyes were on him. Suddenly, the words wouldn't come to his throat. He managed  
a weak "So… I didn't win."  
"We know, Ash." Oak said gently. "We know. You tried your best."  
 _And my best wasn't enough. I want my best to be the best._ Ash thought morosely. _I want to be the very best._


	2. Hurt

**Chapter 2: Hurt**

When dinner was almost finished, the majority of the people at the table sat in an uncomfortable silence. None of them knew how to approach the issue that was on their minds. Finally, Oak leaned forward and clasped his hands together under his chin.

"You know, Ash. You should uh…" Oak fumbled with his words for a moment.

Ash had just finished the delicious meal that his mom made for him on his return. Even though he was disappointed at his loss, he still appreciated a good home-cooked meal. Upon hearing Oak's unsteady words, he straightened up in anticipation. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Max and May having a silent conversation in the corner. They stopped talking upon seeing him and straightened up nervously.

"Your mother and I have been talking." Oak continued, before shooting a pointed glance across the table at Delia, who was wrapped up in her thoughts. She started at Oak's words.

"Oh, yes. Ash…" She began, but trailed off. Ash looked from his mom to Oak and back. Confusion was written across his face.

"What do you mean, Professor?" Ash said.

Misty slammed her fork down onto the table, making everyone jump. "I'm going to put this in terms you can understand, Ash." She drawled with barely contained glee. "You suck as a trainer."

Ash looked at her in utter disbelief and shock.

"She's right." Oak picked up. "I mean, not that I would put it like that." Oak glanced meaningfully at Misty before continuing, "But, Ash, think about it. You've entered into, what now," Oak quickly racked up the counter on his fingers. "Six different leagues, and won none of them. It's been six, close to seven years now. Ash, you're becoming an adult. Pretty soon you'll have to work to support yourself. Delia has been graciously supporting you all this time, but don't you think it's time to repay her?" Oak raised his eyebrows at Ash questioningly.

Ash began to speak indignantly, but was cut off by Misty. "Yeah, Ash. I've been telling you this for yea-"

Ash cut her off with an intense glare. If looks could kill, Misty would be on the ground screaming. He turned towards his mom, his face changing from anger to a pleading expression. "But mom...! It's always been my dream… I won the Orange League!" He babbled on, gesticulating wildly.

His mom sighed guiltily and looked at him with a sorrowful expression on her face. She wanted him to pursue his dream. She really did. But the house had mortgage to pay and working as a single mother for over fifteen years while Ash ran around the world getting to visit any place he chose and spending money freely was a luxury she gave up a long time ago.

His mother's lack of an answer sent Ash's heart racing, and he looked at the professor for help. Oak gazed at him, his expression unchanging. Iris spoke up from the other side of the table.

"Ash, you're such a little kid! You'll never win a league if you just get rid of your pokemon from every single region!"

Brock nodded silently. As a self-proclaimed Pokemon breeder, Brock prided himself on knowing the best way to raise his companions. It always worried him the way Ash switched between his Pokemon after only a year, sometimes not even that. The relationship could not be healthy, if there even was one in the first place. It took years to properly bond with a Pokemon.

Ash caught Brock's nodding and raised his eyebrows at him. Brock too? Ash's eyes swept the table, looking for help that would not come. Misty, Brock, Tracey, May, Max, Dawn, Iris, Cilan… His "friends" would not make eye contact with him, as they shifted uncomfortably under his steely gaze. Pikachu glared at each of them as no one came to his trainer's defense. Tears started to well up in Ash's eyes but he grit his teeth and, blinking heavily, managed to keep them down.

 _No. He would not cry in front of them._ Ash shook his head to clear his vision and thoughts.

"So… what does that mean?" Ash clarified shakily, looking frantically around.

"...it means that you stop travelling around wasting money and work at a real job. Your sense of battling was full of flavor when I first met you, but you seem to have stopped seasoning your battle strategy to the point of blandness." Cilan declared.

Ash whipped around to contest his words hotly, but was cut off by yet another voice.

"Maybe you should try coordinating instead of battling, Ash!" Dawn piped up unhelpfully, but was quickly shut down by Ash's absolutely furious gaze.

"Don't encourage him." Everyone except Ash and Pikachu chimed. Pikachu glared furiously, cheeks sparking at Dawn for even suggesting that Pikachu should do coordinating. He was born and bred for battle.

Ash held up his hands. "Can you guys let me speak for one second?!" He said in exasperation.

"Ashy-boy. We all know what you're going to say." Gary spoke up, having been silent for this long. He was leaning back in his chair, arms crossed, feet up, but he leaned forward to meet Ash's eyes. "And take it from someone who knows when to quit: You're done. Become a researcher like me and don't waste your life. Our dream was fun when we were kids, yeah. But becoming a grand Pokemon trainer? Do you know how many people are trying to become a Pokemon master? _Do you know how many fail?_ "

Ash's eyes once again roamed around the table beseechingly. His eyes began to lose hope as none of his so called "friends" stood with him.

"Ash-" Oak began tenderly again, but the sharp screech of a chair cut him off abruptly. Ash, being barraged on all sides, had shoved his chair away from the table and stood. All eyes were on him as he glowered around the table, making eye contact with them all.

"Forget you, then," He said, his eyes lasering into the Professor. "Forget you all. I'll prove every single one of you disbelievers wrong. I'm going to become the greatest of every trainer out there, and when you finally realize that you were wrong and ask for my forgiveness, I will remember how none of you stood by my side." The table was silent as they all looked at Ash with mixed expressions on their faces. Shock, anger, disbelief, bemusement, and on Brock's face, guilt.

Ash continued on, practically shouting and red in the face. "Some friends you are! I travelled around the world with you guys and not one of you came to my defense. I don't need any of you to achieve my dreams, and I don't need my mom's help, either." He jerked his head at Delia. "From now on, I'm on my own." Ash finished, sticking his hands into his pockets. His mother and a few others at the table gasped at this proclamation.

"Ash, you're overreacting. Please, just-" Oak attempted to say, before being cut off again by a hysterical Ash.

"No! I'm done with you! I don't want any of you following me. See you in the leagues." Ash whipped around, nearly throwing Pikachu off his shoulder, and stalked to the door. As he crossed the threshold of the frame, he threw one final glance back at the home he was raised in, with the people he was raised by, and the friends he had grown up with.

"I would say wish me luck, but I won't need it." And with that, Ash slammed the door to his home before walking away without a backwards glance.

Sluggishly, Delia turned to look at the others, tears in her eyes.

"Did we do the right thing?"


	3. The Lab

**Chapter 3: The Lab**

The house was in hysterics. No one expected Ash would take it so personally. It was to be expected, in hindsight. Ash had this dream since he was a young boy, and hearing those who care about you tell you to stop pursuing it instead of warm encouragement was a hard message to swallow.  
Delia was in hysterics, as she cried into her hands. The table's occupants from a moment ago surrounded her, offering words of encouragement.  
"Don't worry, Mrs. Ketchum. I'm sure he will be back." Professor Oak said soothingly.  
"Yeah! Don't worry about Ash. He's just being a little kid. He'll be back soon enough." Iris said gently. Brock and the others nodded encouragingly in the background, but Delia wasn't paying attention.  
Slowly, Delia's sobbing turned into small sniffles, and she turned to face the window, gazing sorrowfully towards the direction Ash walked off. She couldn't get the image of Ash storming away from her mind. Her poor little Ash. She began having doubts about Oak's convincing speech about Ash needing to grow up. She could remember the day when Ash decided he wanted to be a Pokemon Trainer like it were yesterday.

 _"Mommy! Mommy! Guess what?" An ecstatic Ash said, running through the doorway into the kitchen, almost tripping before regaining his balance._  
 _"Careful Honey. You don't want to get hurt." Delia said, with a slight smile on her face as she watched her only child._ They grow up so fast. _She thought fondly._  
 _"I'm going to be a Pokemon trainer when I grow up!" Ash put his hand proudly onto his puffed out chest. "All the kids at school told me how cool they are and that they travel around and befriend all sorts of Pokemon and they become their friends!"_

Ash's mother clasped her hands together and gazed around at the table's inhabitants, all of which were engaged in hush conversation. I hope I made the right decision, she thought mournfully.

Ash Ketchum stood in the center of a circle made of the Pokemon he'd gained from the years of his journey.  
"...so anyone who wants to come with me and train, you're welcome to. I'll understand if you guys don't want to, though. I know the road ahead will be hard," Ash bowed his head.  
He looked up to find his Pokemon staring at each other, dumbfounded. He couldn't blame them. Ash had surprised himself from his boldness. None of them expected him to abandon going to new regions, leagues, or gyms and simply train them. What would it even be like? And if he was to be believed, the journey would be tough.  
A beat passed. Ash held his breath. A movement caught his eye as Sceptile stepped forward. He nodded at Ash, determination gleaming in his eye. Ash smiled, grateful at Sceptile's display of loyalty and trust. Totodile and Heracross were the next to join him. The others stayed where they were or looked at the ground bashfully. After a moment or two, Charizard snorted and stomped his foot. He crossed his arms and joined the others who were coming with Ash, joined a second later by Greninja. Ash's face was a mixture of sadness for those who wanted to be left behind with Oak and appreciation for the Pokemon who chose to stay with him. A second later, he glanced in Pikachu's direction with an inquisitive look starting to form, but Pikachu's expression shut it down almost immediately.  
Pikachu's intense look conveyed the love and loyalty he shared for his partner, formed throughout their time and experiences together. Ash's expression melted into gratitude, and he gave a sharp, firm nod at Pikachu, before returning to the task at hand.  
One by one, he walked around embracing the ones who would be left behind, whispering comforting words in their ears. It seemed to come to him naturally, and it was deathly silent, save for the sound of footsteps against the cold laboratory floor. When he had finished hugging Chikorita, all of them were teary eyed.  
Ash sniffed. "I'll never forget you guys. I'll come to visit and everything, don't worry." He started to speak again, but stopped. There was nothing else to say.  
With a final wave, he turned to look at those who chose to come with him, glanced at Pikachu, and spun on his heel. It was a brief second that passed before he began moving towards the door, still hesitant. His former partners watched as their friends left the lab with him, none daring draw a breath until the door closed with a final click.

-  
Author's Note: Hey guys. First off, sorry for this chapter being a bit shorter. Secondly: I'm glad you're all enjoying our story. Thanks to all those that have reviewed and commented so far! We enjoy reading all the reviews, so feel free to continue to spill your thoughts. Some of the points are good, and some of them are less so, but we appreciate them all the same. Something to keep in mind while you're reading this story is that: A) We are trying to create a different kind of story here. We're not trying to stay true to how these characters would actually act (fully), because then this situation would never happen. I hope that the small break in the character's personalities won't be too jarring for anyone, but that's how we're choosing to write it. We will try to stay to their character personalities, but for the sake of the story, we may have to alter it. B) There is no "hero" in this story. A couple of people are saying that Ash is being immature/stupid. Sure. We're not disagreeing with that. It's simply a story, where things happen. That's it. Hope those don't come off as too cold, but we're pretty much gonna write however we want. Again, criticism is welcomed, but don't expect us to take it to heart. Thanks for reading and enjoying, everyone!


	4. Why Would You Leave?

**Chapter 4: Why Would You Leave?**

Years had passed. Not a day had gone by that Delia didn't think about that fateful night after Ash's tournament. She'd tried calling him for months after his disappearance, but to no avail. It became a ritual of sorts to wake up first thing in the morning and call Ash's number, and leave a message telling him how much she loved him and speaking out the things she missed. Eventually, the message box was full. She switched to simply calling until it denied the chance to leave a message and hanging up, instead. Delia kept paying for the number in the hope that maybe he… no, so that when he came back home he would still have his phone number. She refused to accept the alternative. And so, every day, without fail, another missed call was added to Ash's phone.  
The phone that was residing in a public landfill, by now. It had been thrown away years ago, almost right after Ash had left. Once it ran out of battery it had been useless, and he wasn't planning on calling anyone, anyway.  
This routine of Delia's continued without fail for almost three years, when an unexpected break in her routine shocked her.

She had just finished making breakfast when a noise at the door scared her out of her daydream. It sounded like an animal scratching at the door. The noise continued on incessantly  
"Coming!" she yelled. Delia gently put the plate and utensils down before she wandered over to the door, wondering who it could possibly be. She opened the door to reveal… nothing.?  
Delia looked around confusedly, before she heard a small, "pika!" She looked down, and upon seeing the small yellow rodent, gave a cry of suprise.  
"What?! Pikachu!" Delia exclaimed with utter confusion and disbelief, "What are you doing here?" And why are you not with Ash? She thought worriedly.  
Pikachu looked down at the ground mournfully. "Pika…"  
Delia gasped as a rush of possibilities flooded her mind. Is Ash dead? Is he hurt? Is he in trouble? These were the only explanations that were reasonable to Delia as to why Pikachu was not with Ash. She bent down next to Pikachu to look him straight in the eyes.  
"Pikachu. Where is Ash?" She spoke slowly and deliberately, looking Pikachu in the eye. Pikachu shook his head.  
"Pika Pi!" Pikachu gesticulated wildly, but Delia tilted her head in confusion. "Pikachu, I can't understand you. Can you just nod or shake your head?"  
The small electric mouse crossed his short, stubby arms and nodded his assent.  
Delia took an unsteady breath before continuing. "Is Ash dead?" A shake from the animal. At least her Ash wasn't dead, Delia breathed in relief.  
"Where is he?" Delia blurted. Pikachu stared at her for a moment and then gave a frustrated shake. "Oh, right. Sorry. Yes or no questions." Delia paused.  
Her gaze met the ceiling pensively. "Can you lead me to Ash?" Delia glanced at Pikachu, who was shaking his head furiously. Delia crossed her arms. "Why not?" She snapped, annoyed. Pikachu raised his paws in mock surrender, seeming to say it wasn't his choice.  
Delia sighed, running her hands through her hair. It had become a habit of hers these past few years.  
"But he's safe, right?" Ash's mom's eyes bored into Pikachu. The electric type shrugged and waggled his hand in a "more or less" gesture.  
Delia felt a weight leave her shoulders that she wasn't sure how long had been there. She stared out the window contemplatively. At least Ash is safe, she thought. I wonder what he's up to?

 **Author's Note: Hey guys! Average Mailman huckin' another story to your inbox! Sorry for the super short chapter. Life's hectic. We will make it up to you as the next chapter is long(er). Thanks to everyone who reviewed and likes our story so far! Feel free to continue to leave your thoughts on the story. We love to read them! Also, we will not be updating for a while. Lots of stuff due in school and other things. I will try to post the next chapter by November 10th. Until next time.**


	5. An Invitation

**Author's Note: Hey guys, Average Mailman here, delivering another chapter right to your front door! Not much to say. Enjoy! Read and Review!**  
 **Chapter 5: An Invitation**  
A resounding bang echoed across the town from the woods. The people who lived in said town always gossipped about it being the work of ghosts, or perhaps the souls of the damned. No one noticed that at almost the same time as the noises started, a stranger came to town. He was quiet, polite, and never stayed for long. Whenever he heard the town's gossip he did his part to encourage it. Many knew him only as Gray, the wanderer. 5'11", raven colored hair, toned body and pale from lack of sunshine.  
However, the stranger wasn't currently in the town. He was sitting still on a rock, a light blue glow outlining his toned and muscled body, his legs folded, arms resting on his knees with his palms up. His eyes were closed, but at the sound of an explosion, the blue glow disappeared slowly, dissipating into the air. He opened his left eye a crack and turning his head slightly, looked towards a clearing that was filled with smoke from an explosion. When the smoke cleared, it revealed two behemoth pokemon facing each other. A Magnezone narrowed its eyes and spun its magnetic appendages threateningly against the opposing Charizard, who was exhaling so hard flames shot out of its nostrils. The Magnezone sparked dangerously, steel bolts whirring slightly, as they waited for the other to make a move. Slowly, Gray closed his eyes and resumed the stance he was in before.  
"Master, when is it my turn?" A figure behind Gray spoke up. Gray turned his head and stared at the figure in the shadows, eyes still closed. Gray raised his eyebrows, but Lucario continued on, unabated. "I'm ready to resume training."  
"You're still recovering from the other day. Wait until tomorrow at the very earliest." He replied, inclining his head slightly towards the motionless figure, still concentrating.  
"Now, are you gonna leave so I can meditate, Lucario?" Gray inquired. Lucario dipped its head in respect before disappearing into the shadows.

A pidgeot flew through the air high above the ground, beady eyes searching for something, or someone. Suddenly, a jet of flame flew by the pidgeot, startling it out of its deep concentration. With an indignant chirp, the pokemon looked at the origin of the flame. A dangerous looking charizard was currently grappling with a magnezone, muscles straining. The fire pokemon whipped its head around, spraying flames in all directions. The magnezone was sending thousands of volts of energy into the charizard, but amazingly the dragon was still standing. The pidgeot, distracted by the battle, almost missed the imperceptible figure in the shadows, if not for it sidestepping to dodge a stray jet of flame.  
"Watch it, Charizard!" Gray commanded. The charizard grunted in response before planting its feet, grabbing the magnezone by the antenna and hurling it thirty feet, before collapsing to one knee in exhaustion.  
Gray narrowed his eyes at the tired pokemon, before he caught a glimpse of movement in his peripheral vision. His head snapped upwards to catch the pidgeot circling down. He rubbed his eyebrows in annoyance. He knew what the pokemon was here for. Gray didn't even wait for the bird to land before he strolled over to where it was drifting down. He stuck out his hand impatiently, and the pidgeot looked at him, talons finally landing in the soft, lush grass. It stuck out one of its sharp claws, a small message wrapped neatly around it and a name scrawled across the top.  
The imposing figure roughly slid it off the pidgeot's talon, as the bird chirped in surprise. It narrowed its eyes at Gray and took off with a whoosh as soon as the parcel was off of it. The pidgeot circled once around the area before zooming away with a loud cry. Gray watched it disappear into the distance and then looked at the parcel, before looking around to see Charizard watching him intently, still on one knee. He walked purposefully over to the dragon, and Charizard stood, grunting with effort and exhaustion. Even though the pokemon towered over Gray, the dragon's eyes were full of apprehension. Gray stopped before the charizard and looked at him ominously, but he simply raised his hand with the message in it.  
"Burn it." Gray said, and tossed it into the air. He turned and walked away, not needing to turn around to see Charizard blast the parcel with such heat it shriveled into ash before it hit the ground. Charizard was caught off guard, but he did what Gray asked. They all did.

Gray chuckled. He already knew who sent the message. Mr. Goodshow had been trying to convince him to join a tournament or some other event for months. It was annoying how desperate Mr. Goodshow wanted him in the tournament. Maybe he would enter to humor him. Maybe. It had been a long time since he had battled an actual opponent. Besides, it might provide him with a challenge. Gray paused. He was never one to rush into a decision, as of late. A cool head and level decisions were best, and he would take his time deciding whether to enter, now that the idea had entered his head.  
He shook his head and let out a short, barking laugh. Looks like Mr. Goodshow might get what he wanted. Guess the letters were doing something after all. He would meditate and then make his decision. Looking around at the empty clearing he had wandered into, he couldn't help but reflect upon the last four years, and how much he had changed in that amount of time.

 _Blood rushed through his body, his feet pounding into the ground as he ran. He didn't know where it came from but it was chasing him. Turning around, he saw the tyranitar was rapidly gaining ground. He knew there was no way he could survive an attack from this tyranitar. Maybe if his team was healed up, but all his pokemon were tired from training. Were tyranitar even native to Kanto? He didn't think so, but that was the least of his problems. His belt shook as four of his Pokemon tried to gather the strength help him, but they were too tired to even get out of their pokeballs. The fifth one was shiny, new. It had never been used. Ash had almost forgotten about his ace._ I'm an idiot. _Ash facepalmed mentally. As the tyranitar's footsteps boomed louder and louder, he turned sharply, planted his foot, and spun to face the Tyranitar. "Go!' The pokeball popped open with a familiar sound to reveal an equally familiar shape, that smugly said to Ash, "Good choice."_

Ash sighed as his foot scuffed the ground. Sometimes he wondered how his life would have been if his ex-friends hadn't told him to stop training. Although he did not like what happened, he liked the result. The fact that so many of his close friend betrayed his trust just gave him a drive to truly become better than before. He liked his life now, and he liked the improvements to his character. Gray. A name he had chosen after he had heard about Pokemon Master Red and Trainer Gold. Gray was a lifeless color. Drained of all other colors, it was just there. Just like Ash. Gray was shook from his thoughts when he heard a voice behind him.  
"Master," the jackal-like figure said from behind him, "you have been gone for hours. We were worried back at camp."  
"Go back, Lucario. Just reminiscing." Gray replied, his tone leaving no room for argument. He heard footsteps steadily fade into the background, as Lucario headed back to camp. He sighed, turning towards the direction of his makeshift home.

"I'm so going to win this thing!" A young bespectacled male said ecstatically. On his shoulder, a Pikachu cheered with him. Currently his strongest pokemon, the young boy and Pikachu were best friends. A tall, dark skinned man shook his head, chuckling to himself as he watched the young boy run towards the Pokemon Center. His hand wrapped around his girlfriend's hand as they followed leisurely behind the enthusiastic boy.  
"Slow down, Max!" The girl yelled annoyed at Max. The dark skinned man chuckled.  
"Let him be excited, May. It is his first big tournament since the Hoenn league." May sighed and reluctantly nodded her head.  
"Sorry. Seeing him act like that reminds me of..." She said quietly. Brock nodded his head somberly. They entered the Pokemon Center after Max and approached the counter, where a Nurse Joy was signing people in. May glanced around curiously at all the different trainers standing in the center. Ace Trainers, Breeders, some Gym Leaders, and even one Elite Four. However, there was one figure that didn't belong to any groups. He was a lone figure standing in the corner, his back turned to everyone else. May couldn't tell, but he looked to be talking to someone, even though there was no one around him. She felt like she knew him from somewhere, but she shook it off. His posture screamed confidence and maybe a little bit of arrogance.  
"May!" The sound of her name shook her from her musings. She looked up, startled. Brock stared at her, concerned, while Max stared at her with a weird look she couldn't identify. He averted his eyes when she looked at him.  
"What? Sorry," she said sheepishly, "I was thinking about something." Brock's eyes softened as he squeezed his girlfriend's hand.  
"I was going to ask you if you wanted to compete in this tournament." The Nurse Joy vocalized from beyond the counter.  
"Sure!" May responded enthusiastically, even though she knew she didn't have a chance at winning. Might as well try. She thought. From the corner of her eye, she saw the figure look up sharply when he heard her voice, before standing up and stalking over in there direction. For some reason, May's heartbeat increased as the stranger neared. Her heart beat in tune with his steps, and it was as if all she noticed was the stranger, his cloak fluttering around him. However, he walked past them, as if he didn't even notice them.  
"You're all signed up!" Max gave an euphoric yell as he snatched his validation ticket and key card for his hotel room from the Nurse Joy's hand before speeding off to find his hotel room.  
"Sorry about that. He's excited." Brock said apologetically to Nurse Joy. Nurse Joy laughed and smiled joyfully. May looked at the direction that Max sped off to, and saw Max talking to the robed figure. May hurried over to Max, but before she got to him, the figure walked away from Max, leaving him looking skeptical.  
"What did he say to you?" May inquired to Max, as he turned to face her.  
"He said, "Good luck. You're gonna need it.'" Max said dubiously.


	6. Things Start to Heat Up

**AN:**  
 **Hey guys! Another chapter. So a few things before we begin. We will be switching between Ash and Gray when writing. Also, we will not be describing characters in the anime, as we assume you know what they look like. Unless they are OC, then we assume you know what they look like. Also, we realized we haven't actually** **had a battle scene and we are already 6 chapters in. So next chapter will include a small battle scene. R &R and enjoy.**  
 **Chapter 6: Things Start to Heat Up**

Gray sat on the bed, noticing how hard the bare mattress in the dorm area was. He snorted. He'd been more comfortable in that god-forsaken forest he just came from. He sighed as he remembered just how comfortable he'd become living on his own, and how unfamiliar and frightening the forest was when he had just left home…

 _Ash walked into the forest with Pikachu on his shoulder, determined, but scared. He looked at his yellow companion and Pikachu nodded back determinedly._  
 _"Ready, little buddy?" Ash spoke, voice cracking. He cleared his throat. "This looks like a good area!" He spread his hands, encompassing the surrounding clearing. Pikachu looked at the boy incredulously._  
 _"Pika?" Pikachu chirped confusedly, look around at the barren clearing. Even the grass could barely survive, and wasn't as lush as the path they just came from. It was a perfect area to train, relax, have a picnic… but live? Pikachu wasn't so sure._  
 _"Aw, come on Pikachu. This'll be fun!" Ash's voice was much higher pitched than normal, and Pikachu's ear twitched. It sounded like Ash was trying to convince himself as much as his buddy._

He was startled out of his reprieve by the timer on his PokeTech going off. Out of habit, he flipped it up to confirm what he already knew. 12:00. Time for lunch. He never missed it. The PokeTech was invaluable resource out in the forest when it was desolate of anything that could be called technology. He grew accustomed to knowing what the approximate time was based upon the sun, but checking his wrist became a habit. Luckily it was solar powered. His stomach grumbled. Right on time. Gray thought. Ash had changed, but his love of food had always stayed the same. Now that he was in the city for the first time in a while, he was eager to take advantage of his situation and make sure to sample everything the exotic restaurants had to offer. He turned to his left shoulder, about to say something, but stopped and shook his head. He left the room without another word.

"Come on, Brock." May persisted in trying to convince her boyfriend to enter the tournament. "You're a gym leader! You're supposed to enter!"  
"Ex-gym leader." Brock corrected her. May rolled her eyes.  
"You know what I mean!"  
Max sat in the corner of the room, watching Brock and his sister squabble.  
"What time are the others getting here?" Max said abruptly. May and Brock blinked, forgetting he was there.  
"Soon," came May's curt reply, before turning back to Brock, again trying to convince him to enter. "There's only 10 spots left, Brock! Hurry up and decide. Besides, what's the worst that can happen?"  
Reluctantly, Brock resigned himself to his fate, knowing that the girl would never give up until he entered.  
"Fine!" He exclaimed, exasperated, throwing his hands up in the air.  
May gave a cry for joy and began to drag Brock downstairs to the register, calling out over to Max, "Don't get in trouble, Max! If the others get here, tell them we're downstairs and will be up soon." They left the room, leaving Max to his own devices. Max didn't look surprised by his sister behavior, well accustomed to his sisters hyperactive behavior.  
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Max mumbled, before turning back to his phone. He was researching the major trainers that would be potential candidates of entry into this massive tournament. Max may have been scatterbrained, but he was focused enough to give this tournament his all. He was not about to lose.  
"Let's see here, Gym leaders, champions, what about battle frontier brains?" Max thought out loud as he scrolled through various databases, forums, and articles. He was so engrossed in his study that he missed a tall, looming figure wander past the door. A figure that had previously given him wholly unhelpful words of wisdom hours previous.

The cook's eyes widened.  
"What do you mean he wants another one?"  
The waiter was staring bashfully at the floor. "I don't get it either sir, but he said he wants another order."  
The cook's left eye twitched. Then his mouth split into a broad grin. "Brilliant!" He roared, throwing his arms out and narrowly missing the waiter, who ducked. "I've never met anyone who's loved my cooking this much! Tell him this one's on me." The cook turned back to his latest masterpiece with fresh vigor.  
"Okay, I'm on it, sir." The waiter left the cook as he began to hum cheerfully.

Brock was currently leading a group of very hungry individuals. They were all on very good terms with each other, and they were involved in very loud, rambunctious conversation. Behind Brock and May were Iris, Cilan, Misty, Dawn, Max, Serena, and Clemont.  
"Brock, where is this place you told us about? We've been walking for years." Misty groaned.  
"I'm with Misty," Dawn spoke up. "I love food and all, but I'm not climbing to the top of Mount Everest to get it."  
"You do know that Mount Everest isn't technically the tallest mountain right?" Clemont interrupted superiorly. "The tallest mountain is actually Mauna Kea."  
"Shut up, Clemont." Everyone chimed. Clemont reddened and muttered a quick apology.  
"Chill, guys," May interrupted the group before the rest started to voice their discontent. "We'll be there soon enough. See? It's right here," She added, coming to a stop before an ornately decorated double-door entrance.  
"Wonderful," Brock spoke, as he opened and held the door for the group. "After you guys."  
The party streamed in, eager to sit down and begin feasting, but stopped abruptly when a bustle of noise assaulted their eardrums. The restaurant was packed.  
"Uh… Brock?" Iris sputtered, "Did you happen to, uh… make reservations?"  
"Damn."

Coincidentally, at the very same restaurant that Ash's ex friends were currently occupying, the person that brought them together happened to be located at a table fit for a banquet of 12. Gray was surrounded by mountains of licked-clean-plates. He was just finishing up a platter of juicy steak, and was running out of room to put the finished platters. Gray burped.  
"And here we are, sir!" Gray looked up at the introduction of a new voice at his table. An average height, well-rounded man was currently holding Gray's next order of delicious food he had ordered from the five star restaurant. It was a whole roasted pig.  
Gray flashed him a grin and a thumbs up. "Are you the chef? Everything so far is delicious!" He exclaimed. The cook beamed with utter pride.  
"Thank you sir, I've been cooking for the last 15 years and not one person has ever ate as much of my food as you have." He replied.  
Gray shrugged. "I know quality cooking when I taste it." He cheerfully said back.  
"Well, enjoy this one on me." He set the steaming plate down in front of Gray.  
"I appreciate it," Gray nodded at the cook before picking up his well used fork. "How do I pay for all this?"  
"You gave the front desk your room number for the tournament when you walked in, right? We just bill the room."  
"Great partnership you guys have going on. I bet you get a lot of business from all the Pokemon trainers who come here." Gray noted. The cook winked at him and bowed.  
"If you need anything else, just ask." He spoke over his shoulder as the cook walked back towards the kitchen. Gray was excited to dig into his meal, but before he could, his eye caught on a group of familiar looking trainers, breeders, coordinators, and performers. He looked back at the roast pig that was inches away from his mouth and suddenly his mood soured. He wasn't hungry anymore. Gray shoved himself away from the table with a loud scrape and picked up the pig's platter. He slapped a $20 on the table for the waiter and walked out, still carrying the massive pig. Gray sidestepped the group and slammed the door behind him, disappointment immeasurable and the day ruined.

"I wonder what that was about?" Cilan pondered.  
"His mother didn't do a very good job raising him." Iris said condescendingly. Everyone else chimed in with their agreements as they sat down on the still very cluttered table. A waiter came over and started clearing the dishes off and setting new plates. The group began to talk with renewed vigor, now with the promise of food. However, there were two people who were unusually quiet. May and Max were quietly conversing with one another.  
"Was that the man who told you good luck?" May inquired in a hushed tone to Max.  
"Yeah," Max answered, "Why do you think he left so suddenly after we walked in? We've never seen him before so it's not like he recognized us. Right?" However, May was in deep thought and didn't bother responding to Max's question.


	7. Beginning of the End

**AN: Sorry for all the Brock lovers out there. Also, trying out a new way to post. See if this looks better. R &R.**

 **Chapter 7: The Beginning of the End**

The crowd roared. Brock waved at the cheering crowd, excited, but nervous. May screamed from the sidelines at him, waving and yelling. He put his two index fingers and thumbs together to form a heart at her, and some of the crowd swooned. The tournament had begun with flying colors. A few battles had already been fought, but it was still the first round. Brock's opponent hadn't arrived yet, but it was getting close to the deadline. If they didn't show up at the specified battle time they would be disqualified at the judge's discretion.

Unfortunately for Brock, that would not be the case today. A figure walked out of the tunnel slowly, but with purpose. He squinted his eyes even more than usual, trying to see who the silhouette was.

"Sorry I'm late." A familiar voice echoed, as an even more familiar face was revealed. The Sinnoh champion, Cynthia, stood across from Brock in the opponent's square. Brock's jaw slackened in disbelief as his eyes met his first round opponent's, and all his dreams of impressing May were destroyed in a microsecond.

"CHALLENGERS! GET READY FOR BATTLE!" The announcer screamed.

"CYN-THI-A, CYN-THI-A, CYN-THI-A-" The crowd chanted. In the midst of all the frenzied screaming, Brock could hear one small, forlorn voice chanting something different.

"BROCK, BROCK, BROCK, BROCK, BROCK." It was his girlfriend's voice. Some of Brock's courage flowed back into him, as he straightened himself.

"Alright, guys. We can do this," He spoke to himself, selecting a Pokeball from his belt. "No sweat. She's only the champion, right? How hard could it be?"

"GO!" The announcer bellowed, and the crowd roared.

Brock hucked the Pokeball with all of his might. "GO! GEODUDE!" The Pokeball opened and a flash of light emerged, and Brock's faithful, trusty geodude floated in a battle ready position, facing off against Cynthia.

Brock nodded smartly, but noticed a strange absence of noise. Looking around, he realized that the crowd had gone deathly quiet, save for a few crunches of popcorn.

"...why isn't Brock using his onyx?" Cilan asked slowly. "Is it perhaps he needs to add some of his own unique seasoning to this blend of a battle? I am quite intrigued on what flavors will come out of this battle."

Cynthia raised an eyebrow, dumbfounded at what looked like incompetence in battling, but could very well be a trap to make her let her guard down. She decided to quickly nip that in the bud, and go all out. That settled, she whipped her hair back and grabbed one of _her_ Pokeballs.

"MILOTIC! USE HYDRO CANNON!" Cynthia hollered as she whipped a fastball towards Geodude.

Brock's eyes widened as much as they could as the Pokeball started to open.

"What the-"

Sobbing echoed through the hotel room. May sat next him on the bed, awkwardly patting Brock's back.

"It's okay, Brock. She is a Champion after all." She said comforting him.

"I… didn't… even hit… her." He managed to choke out in between sobs.

"Yeah… maybe if you didn't use Geodude…" she said in a low voice. Brock's cries redoubled. "I mean, you always use him!" She quickly amended. "Why don't you use someone else for once? Like Onyx!"

"B...but I _like_ Geodude." Brock looked at her. At least, she thought he did. It was sometimes hard to tell with Brock's eyes. Hell, he slept like the dead and never made a noise, so she didn't even know when he was asleep half the time. It was a little weird to be looking at someone you thought was asleep but then they suddenly start talking to you. She had to get used to that. Brock's cries tripling in volume returned May to her senses and she began patting his back again. Max had the right idea leaving early to train. It was going to be a long night.

Gray stalked out of his hotel room and headed down the elevator. He seemed to be talking to someone that no one else could see.

"No. I am not going to use _him_. Did he put you up to this?" He seemed to get a reply because he growled under his breath and muttered something inaudibly. The last thing he said before he rounded the corner was: "That would ruin the surprise. I'll use you against the Master. Maybe."

Paul snickered to himself as he finished off the last of his jelly donut. He was looking forward to crushing the weakling trainers that would be in the first round. Scoffing to the air and laughing, thinking about hearing the crowd chant his name, he brushed his hands off and walked confidently into the arena to take on his first opponent.

The heat was intense. It was an absolute scorcher. Paul was from Sinnoh, where the temperatures regularly hit under thirty degrees. He was panting simply standing in the sun, waiting for his opponent. He didn't have to wait long. Five minutes to the dot before the round started, his opponent appeared across from him in the tunnel, making his way out into the arena.

Paul's eyes bulged as he saw that the trainer standing across from him was wearing a trench coat in this heat.

"How are you wearing that in this heat?" Paul sputtered. The trainer across from him didn't move or react in any way. Paul waited a beat before speaking up again.

"Hello? I asked you a question." Again, the figure did not give any indication that he heard Paul whatsoever. In fact, he raised his wrist a second later, and Paul thought he had finally heard him, but he flipped his wrist and revealed a small watch that he checked the time on.

"Hey!" Paul practically shouted at the cloaked figure, not used to being ignored, "are you braindead!? I'm talking to you!"

"I will be if you keep flapping those lips of yours. Shut up." The figure finally responded in a deep, gruff voice. Paul was stunned into silence. No one had ever given him a response like that. He finally found his voice and opened his mouth to retort-

"ALRIGHT. CHALLENGERS, PLEASE PREPARE YOURSELVES FOR BATTLE!" The announcer boomed, startling Paul. His eyes narrowed.

 _This guy thinks he's smart, eh?_ Paul thought to himself. _I'll show him my strength, and then I'll…_

"...GO!" The announcer's voice was accompanied by a loud buzzer, signaling the start of the intense dual. Paul's thoughts were cut off and the thrill of battle filled him. He realized that the referee had been talking to them both, probably stating the rules, but Paul, nor his opponent cared, as they had already read the rule book. Confidence rising and old spirit returning, he selected his Pokeball and planted his foot. Whipping the Pokeball around at a speed that would rival major league pitchers, he hurtled the ball into the center of the arena with confidence. Electivire, an electrical behemoth, rushed out of the pokeball and landed with a powerful thump.

Paul had made it a personal goal of his to make sure he always threw the Pokeball harder and faster than his opponents, so he felt a little cheated when Gray made no effort to throw the Pokeball at all, but merely flicked it off his belt.

The pokeball rolled a few inches and expanded, then opened with a familiar sound. A magnezone popped out of the pokeball and instantly rolled its magnets into a guarded position.

Paul grinned. "Alright, Electivire! Use screech!"

Electivire bellowed out a horrible grating sound that made everyone in the audience clasp their hands over their ears as the screech washed over them.

Gray was unfazed, however, and stood calmly with his arms crossed as magnezone took the screech.

"GRAY'S MAGNEZONE SEEMS TO BE WHOLLY UNCONCERNED WITH ELECTIVIRE'S SCREECH, FOLKS!" The announcer's voice blared over the speakers.

Paul's eyes narrowed. Did this trainer think he was a joke? Or perhaps he was just stupid. Either way, he wasn't holding back. "Fire punch!"

Electivire rushed forward, flames beginning to gather around his hand. He charged towards the magnezone as it _still_ hadn't bothered moving from its original position.

"Full power!" Paul called.

The hit was deafening. Electivire's hand slammed into the immobile target at full force, flames dancing around his fist. A large explosion from the intensity of the blow obscured the crowd's view of the arena.

"...OOOOHHHH! AND MAGNEZONE TAKES THE POWERFUL ELECTIVIRE'S HIT AT FULL FORCE! THAT WAS A HARD BLOW, FOLKS! HOW WILL MAGNEZONE COME BACK FROM THIS?!" The announcer continued to shout. How his throat was holding up was anyone's guess.

The smoke cleared. Paul gasped. The magnezone hadn't moved, and neither had Gray. Both stood completely uninterested at one of Electivire's strongest attacks, _still unmoving_.

"Hey, is this some sort of joke?" Paul angrily asked, looking around for prank cameras.

Electivire's fist sizzled as he took it off Magnezone's steel chassis. Now it was Gray's turn to grin, although Gray's was much more malicious.

"Magnezone… flash cannon."

It was instantaneous. One moment Electivire stood in front of Magnezone, still recovering from the force of his own attack. The next, Electivire was buried in the wall in the opposite side of the arena, a loud crash echoing throughout the stadium. Paul's jaw went slack and his mouth dry as a giant burst of light was slowly fading. " _W-what…?"_ Paul incredulously thought.

"LOOKS LIKE ELECTIVIRE IS UNABLE TO BATTLE! PAUL HAS TWO POKEMON LEFT!"

"SHUT UP!" Paul screamed at the opaque window that hid the announcer from the contestants. "I'M TRYING TO THINK HERE!"

Paul became aware of Gray cooly staring at him from across the battlefield, and he became flustered at his outburst.

"What are you looking at?!" he seethed at Gray.

"Your incompetence." came the level reply.

But Gray's response only added fuel to Paul's fire, and he selected another Pokeball with his face burning. He hurled the ball as hard as he could towards Gray's completely neutral face.  
 _You will not embarrass me._ Paul thought to himself.

The ball exploded outwards and a shape emerged from the light. A purple scorpion called Drapion.

"DRAAAAAAA." It gave a battle cry, getting into position. It didn't typically get to battle, except in high profile fights like these. It was brimming with energy and fresh for battle.

"BEGIN!" The referee called. Instantly, Drapion was already moving, knowing that Paul would call for toxic spikes. He was right.

"Drapion, toxic spikes, then into swords dance!" The large scorpion quickly threw toxic spikes around Magnezone, poison tips clattering to the ground and becoming a deadly trap for any pokemon sent out. Magnezone surveyed the metaphorical minefield as Drapion ground his claws together, sharpening them into gleaming weapons.

"Now, use cross poison!" Drapion leaped forward, his arms crossed, glowing with a deadly purple sheen. Gray and Magnezone had yet to move throughout the whole ordeal. Paul smirked, some confidence regained.

The poisonous scorpion slammed into the steel pokemon with the force of a dump truck. If possible, the magnezone looked even less affected by the powered up move then by the fire punch from the previous pokemon.

"You do realize that poison doesn't affect steel… right?" Gray asked patronizingly. "You know, I would have assumed a trainer who had the audacity to enter a league for the best of the best would have known something basic like that." It was the longest sentence Gray had uttered since arriving to the tournament.

Paul's eye twitched as he mentally face palmed. _I forgot. Damn. Now I look like a fool._ He grit his teeth.

"Fire fang followed up by rock throw." The drapion opened its mouth to reveal long rows of sharp teeth that were starting to catch on fire. Leaping forward, Drapion clamped his jaw shut on the magnezone's face. Paul gave a mental cheer.

 _That had to do something!_ However, one look at Gray's face and his euphoria wavered. Before Drapion could leap back and perform the second command his trainer had given him, Gray opened his mouth.

"Lock-on. Zap Cannon." Paul's eyes widened.

"BACK!" Paul shouted, a rushed command to save Drapion from the same fate as Electivire.

Drapion hurled itself back in an attempt to get away from Magnezone as a red target appeared on Drapion before fading into his body. Paul realized Drapion's fate was sealed a second too late. He opened his mouth to warn Drapion and use protect, but a beam shot from Magnezone's body so fast it made Paul dizzy, and struck him in the torso. He flew towards Paul, tail and claws waving. Paul athletically leaped out of the way of his incoming pokemon, barely dodging many deadly parts on his pokemon. A loud crash came from behind Paul as he gingerly got up.

 _Damn._ He looked behind him to see his drapion imbedded in the wall. The sinnoh native looked back to see his opponent's magnezone hovering without a scratch on him.

 _Am I in some sort of dream?_ Paul wondered, having doubts in his abilities for the first time in his life. There was no way two of his pokemon had just got knocked out in one hit from a scrub's magnezone. It just wasn't possible. It was inconceivable. Did someone drug his jelly donut? Paul wasn't sure anymore.

Gray smiled, but it wasn't at all friendly. Paul slowly grabbed Drapion's pokeball and returned him, before choosing a new one. He knew there was no hope of winning this battle. All he could do was at least take down one of Gray's pokemon and attempt to save his dignity from any further tarnish.

"Go! Ursaring!" Paul shouted, his last hope leaving his hand just as fast as the other two pokemon. But Gray had tired of the charade.

"Gyro ball." He spoke, never once raising his voice the entire battle. Magnezone finally moved, and move it did. Flashing as fast as Ursaring did out of the pokeball, Ursaring didn't even have time to see daylight before Magnezone slammed a spinning ball of energy straight into its stomach. It never stood a chance.

AN: Did you enjoy the chapter? Also, we don't hate Brock, but it was funny. Review please.

Also, an alternate outcome to the first meeting:

Paul had made it a personal goal of his to make sure he always threw the Pokeball harder and faster than his opponents, so he felt a little cheated when Gray made no effort to throw the Pokeball at all, but merely flicked it off his belt.

"Listen, Paul." Gray said, taking out a cigarette. "My mom always told me when I was young never to smoke. 'Don't eat artificial sweeteners' and other bullcrap. I've always been very careful with my health, Paul. Very very careful. I've never vaped. I've never smoked weed. This is my first cigarette I've ever had in my entire life. And you know why? Because after all these years of taking care of my health… looking at your face gave me cancer anyway."


	8. An Unknown Variable

**AN: Second rounds fight. Just some set up stuff in here. Pairing has been selected. R &R.**

 **Chapter 8: An Unknown Variable**

"The first rounds of the Champions Challenge have ended, and half the trainers have been sent home with nothing to show for their adventure but some..." The news reporter droned on in the background. The room was silent except for the occasional snore of the occupants in the room. However, one person was wide awake. Max Maple. He had been looking on his computer to see the results of the first round battles when he saw Paul had been eliminated. Now, Max hadn't personally met Paul, but he knew from Brock that he was a strong trainer. Not as good as a champion, but he was Elite Four material. It was to Max's shock and utter surprise, when he found out that Paul hadn't even taken out one of his opponents pokemon.

"Some strong trainers in this tournament…" Max muttered to himself. "I have to be careful."

Brock stirred for a moment, and Max quickly hid his books and computer under his covers. When Max was satisfied Brock wouldn't wake up, he pulled out his things again. There was information on all the trainers who are still in the tournament. He saw a couple final gym leaders had survived the first round, many of the Elite Four and all the Champions. Suddenly, one of the trainer's profiles caught Max's eye. He stared at the picture uncomprehendingly for a few seconds, before his eyes lit up with recognition. He clicked on his profile almost automatically, and saw he was the one that eliminated Paul. The same one who told him good luck. The same one he saw in the lobby when he entered. The one who suddenly left when they entered the restaurant. Max knew he had never seen this person before the tournament, but he couldn't shake this feeling that he knew him from somewhere…

The crowd roared. The second rounds had begun, and now everyone was beginning to root for their favorite trainers. There were a few key favorites, of course. Almost everyone could agree on Cynthia being a fan favorite. Lance came in at a close second. Either way, neither of them could compete with the mysterious stranger that had seemed to catch everyone's attention from the very first round. Gray.

He had come from nowhere. No one even knew his last name. In fact, they weren't even sure Gray was his real _first_ name. And sure, Cynthia had beaten her opponent pretty badly, but that was against a newbie trainer that shouldn't have been in the tournament anway. Almost everyone agreed that poor Bock (Buck? Bruck? No one was even sure what that trainer's name was anyway) shouldn't have been allowed to enter the tournament anyway. The fact that anyone who felt like it could enter was a big oversight that the administration quickly made note of to fix for next tournament.

Gray had _played_ with his opponent. He made him look weak and foolish. A couple of people knew of Paul, either by word of mouth or reading his trainer profile, and they all agreed: it shouldn't have been that easy for Gray. Everyone was excited to see his next battle, and how he would approach it.

The announcer's voice boomed throughout the battlefield. Everyone was excited for the final battle of the second round. Gray vs Josh. Josh was a Unovian trainer that had recently competed in the Unova League and won. He had a rare opportunity to fight the Elite Four, but narrowly lost to Marshal, the fighting type specialist. The crowd was fired up to see how this new talent would handle this dark, mysterious trainer that had come from nowhere. The trainers walked to the middle of the battle field and stuck their hands out. Or, Josh did at least. Gray just gave a grunt and flung his hand outward in Josh's general direction. Josh took the offered hand and shook it.

"Good luck to you. I'm Josh." An uninterested vibration from the back of Gray's throat was his reply. The referee walked between them, told them the standard rule set, before sending them to their sides.

"Are both sides ready?" The referee inquired, looking between the two trainers. A single nod from Gray, and an ecstatic exclamation of assent from Josh.

"You may send out your first pokemon." The pokeball was in Gray's hand in an instant, and out in the air before the opposing trainer had the opportunity to pull his off his belt. A flash from the ball, and Magnezone hovered ominously.

Josh giggled nervously. _I should probably use a type advantage. Long range is probably the safest._

"GO! Volcarona!" Josh hurled his Pokeball in an over exaggerated motion towards the Magnezone, but then cringed as he realized he threw it too hard.

The Pokeball slammed into the magnezone's middle eye, but the magnezone remained stock still like it hit a brick wall.

"Volcarona! Extreme speed away from the magnez-" Josh began to call as his Volcarona emerged, cursing his bad luck and mistake.

"Grab it," Gray spoke tonelessly, "We have a dinner to go to."

Josh's mouth dropped open in horror as Magnezone, quick as a flash, whipped one gleaming magnet out and closed it around the freshly emerged Volcarona's neck. The moth pokemon didn't even have time to draw its first breath of fresh air before its oxygen was crushed out of its lungs.  
"Discharge." The voice was cold and heartless as Gray gave the command to end the Volcarona in one hit.

Josh finally found his voice and he forced out the words, "H-heat wave!"

Volcarona was too slow, and too weak to contend with a magnezone of this caliber, and its furry body began to glow with heat as its move charged. Magnezone flashed a bright white, and the audience members were blinded for a split second as more than 800,000 volts of electricity instantaneously entered Volcarona. Volcarona's frail body was immediately cooked, and the light died from its body and eyes in mere seconds, becoming a stiff carcass. Magnezone pointed its magnet, still holding the Volcarona, at Josh and carelessly tossed Volcarona's body at Josh's feet.

He grit his teeth. _How did that thing take out Volcarona in one hit?_ Volcarona may not be his strongest, but it was by no means weak. He returned Volcarona and stared down at the ground deep in thought. He felt the back of his neck tingle and looked up sharply at his opponent. He was met with the cold stare of Gray.

Josh readied his second pokemon. Being careful not to throw the ball in Magnezone's vicinity, he dropped his choice on the ground in front of him.

"Emboar, I choose you!" He shouted, as the flame pig pokemon emerged.

"EMBOARRRRRRRRR!" The giant fire pokemon roared, and locked its beady eyes with Magnezone.

"Flame charge!" Josh called, eager to cut any plan of action Gray could have had off. "Full power!"

The emboar roared and began running full speed at Magnezone, and the crowd gasped as searing hot flames began flying around its body. This pokemon was much stronger than the last, and everyone could tell. Gray raised an eyebrow. Whether it was because he was impressed or annoyed was anyone's guess.

The emboar raised its shoulder as it got closer to the magnezone and began running full tilt. Josh was analyzing Gray and Magnezone closely, command sitting on the tip of his tongue to adjust strategies when Magnezone reacted.

It never did. Emboar slammed into Magnezone with a loud crunch, and the audience cheered at the display of power. Josh fist pumped discreetly, and titled his head to gauge Gray's reaction. He was unfazed. Slightly apprehensive, he whipped his head towards the explosion of flame and smoke that was now beginning to clear. The crowd fell silent. A pokemon lay prone on the ground, and it wasn't Magnezone.

Josh felt his jaw drop. _There's no way…_

That had been his strongest pokemon. To have it be knocked out from the impact alone was unheard of, and he knew at this moment that he was severely outclassed. Sending out his final pokemon would be futile, and Josh knew it. With a heavy heart, he returned his pokemon and signaled at the referee. It was over.

"I forfeit the match!" He turned around and left the stadium, head down. The crowd was silent in disbelief before a crescendo of clapping and cheering began to build.

"JOSH HAS FORFEIT THE MATCH! GRAY IS WINNER BY DEFAULT!" Gray returned his Magnezone and spun on his heel before exiting the stadium without a word.

Gray sighed. Maybe before he might have been one for the spotlight, but too much had changed. He was no more one for the fame. He simply wanted to prove to himself that he had what it took to reach the top. _That day will be soon,_ He promised himself.

Lost in thought, he turned a corner and slammed into another person hard enough to knock them down. Gray barely felt the impact, but he heard the slam on the pavement and the high pitched gasp. Looking down, he saw a small, hooded trainer rubbing his- no, her, side where she fell.  
"Watch where you're going." He muttered, and spun to step around the other. To his surprise, an arm blocked his legs. Out of sheer curiosity, he didn't kick it out of the way, and instead turned to look at the downed person.

"Excuse me!" The lithe figure chirped annoyingly, "A normal person would _apologize_ for knocking someone down!"

"I'm not a normal person." Gray stated simply. She raised her eyebrows and grinned. "Oooh, you're one of _those_ kinds of people, huh? Well, don't let me stop you." Getting up off the ground and brushing her pants off, she gave one last look at Gray and sauntered off.  
Gray stood there, momentarily stunned, before continuing on his way to the diner he had reservations for. The cook was expecting him.


	9. A Willow Waving in the Breeze

Chapter 9: A Willow Waving in the Breeze

Gray huffed. Usually the food didn't take this long to come out. He was hungry and tired. Just as he was debating complaining to the waitress, he saw his favorite person in the whole wide world, the chef, walking out of the kitchen with a steaming bowl of… something. He'd ordered the house special, and wasn't exactly sure what it was, but if he knew the cook, he knew it would be good.

"Bon appeti-"

"What _IS_ that?" Gray cut him off, jabbing his finger at the steaming bowl the chef had set down in front of him.

"It's one of my finest soups." The cook waved his hand with relish.

"I don't like soup," Gray stated firmly.

"Please sir, I know you will enjoy it."

Gray's stomach growled disappointedly.

"Okay." Gray said disbelievingly, and then tentatively scooped up a spoonful of the soup. It smelled good at least. Taking a sip, he was suddenly met with a wonderful combination of flavors that made his taste buds tingle in appreciation. Met with surprise, his eyes widened and he looked incredulously at the soup with new light. Slurping down the rest in the spoon, he quickly began scooping up spoonful after spoonful, gulping down the rich, hearty meal.

"I take it you enjoy it then…?" The chef asked, hands clasped in an eager position, waiting to hear the verdict on one of his finest meals.

Gray's only response was a quick thumbs up, as he kept devouring the big bowl.

The chef chuckled. He'd liked Gray from the moment he laid eyes on him. Someone who appreciated food as much as he did was just someone you connected with. Leaving Gray to his meal, he strut back into the kitchen with vigor, feeling proud that even though the trainer he'd served didn't typically like soup, his was an exception.

Gray eagerly slurped down the bowl of steaming goodness, too intensely focused on satisfying his hunger to notice Max's nose pressed against the window outside, staring at him intently.

Gray walked down the hallway down to his locker room. His battle against Wallace was today. He could hear the jostling of the crowd as people placed last minutes bets and talked amongst their friends and family. The announcer talking about Wallace and his stats of past battles. Gray snorted. Anyone with half a brain would know this wouldn't even be close. Gray had completely and utterly demolished his last three opponents. Paul, a strong Sinnoh opponent, Josh, a Unova Elite level trainer, and Drake, the Dragon type user of the Hoenn Elite Four. After Gray had completely and utterly trashed Drake, Wallace needed to regain some of Hoenn's dignity. The Dragon-type "master" had used a Salamance, Flygon, and Haxorus against him. Gray had used a total of one Pokemon. Magnezone. He knew some of the rumors flying around his name. People trying to explain how he was so good. Before Drake, some said that Paul and Josh weren't good trainers. Now they were using the most ridiculous excuses Gray had ever heard. A few of the more sane ones included the entire tournament being rigged, or his Pokemon being on the most epic steroids the world had ever seen. Gray almost broke a smile when a trainer walked up to him after his battle/massacre against Drake and asked him if he was Jesus Christ himself.  
 _"Why, no," He had replied. "S̬̲̯̬͇̥̗u̞̭̦̮̬m͔̮̮̬̺͖̣ ̣͎̹̳m̫̤o̫͙̩̜͖r̜̰͍tem͎.̭͚͖ E̳ṯ̳̰̮̱͚̼ ͕di͔̘̞͈͉sp̻͙̟̪͙̗erd̩̹̜̠̣̹a̫̩̣ͅm ̖̟͖̞̝̟i̱̩͍̯u̠d̳̣͙̭̯͖i̗͉c̲̪̭͍̩͇ͅe͕̣m ͙̻̮̺͈o̗̯̯m̞̯͍̬ṋ͚̦̠̪ḛ͎̫̱͚̩ͅs ̣̱̘̼a̩̮̰͕̥̖̗d̻ ̱͔h͓̣o͇m̼͕̳͔̭͍̥i̲̼̖͙̤͉̫ṇ̘̪̟e̬̘͍͙̖s̪̗̟.̗͈̟̘͙"_

" _Uhh, excuse me?"_

" _This will be quick,"_ Gray thought to himself. He was too busy thinking about that delicious soup he'd had earlier and absolutely decimating his opponent to notice the single eye that was poking through a crack in the wall, watching him walk by.

That eye belonged to Max Maple, stalker-in-training. Over the past couple of days, he had become obsessed with attempting to find out who Gray was. He followed him whenever he saw him, and observed everything he did. Frustratingly enough, Gray seemed very normal. He went to eat 6 times a day, which wasn't very normal, but other than that he didn't do much out of the ordinary. It was infuriating to Max that he couldn't find out what made Gray tick. He didn't know _what_ he expected to find, just that he expected to find _something_. Like, maybe Gray was actually an alien! " _No, wait,"_ Max thought to himself. " _That's stupid."_

Max wasn't going to give up until he discovered why he was so good at pokemon battling, though. He just had to figure out what that something was.

Gray stood, looking into the sunlight, as his latest opponent stood across from him. He sighed. Why wasn't there some sort of checkbox he could check when he signed up for this tournament, saying " _I'm too good for this tournament, please elevate me to the last fight._ "

" _Darn,_ " Gray thought to himself. " _I forgot to bring my sunglasses._ " The light was directly in Gray's face, making it difficult to see his next victim. " _Ah well,_ " He mused. " _At least it's a beautiful day._ "

Gray had planned to switch to a different Pokemon besides Magnezone, but the stars had aligned just right to give him Wallace as an opponent, who was primarily a water trainer. Gray snorted in utter derision. He never understood training just one type. Why wouldn't you branch out and make a team that could adapt and react to any situation? Whatever, it's not like he cared. He was just another mark on his record.

Wallace walked towards the middle of the battlefield, as did Gray. When they both met in the middle of the battlefield, Wallace stuck his hand out, before realizing Gray never shook hands. He leaned over and grabbed Gray's hand with both of his, and pumped it enthusiastically. The crowd chuckled in amusement. Gray did not.

"So, you're the infamous Gray, eh?" Wallace said conversationally, talking loud so as to be heard over the announcer giving backstory on their previous fights. Gray stared back at his, his expression guarded.

"Not much of a talker? Yeah, I would be speechless if I was in front of myself." Wallace snickered lightly to himself. Gray did not.

"WILL BOTH CHALLENGES PLEASE RETURN TO THEIR RESPECTIVE POSITIONS!" The announcer boomed loudly. The announcer waited a beat, as each trainer readied their Pokemon.

"BATTLE!"

The crowd leaned forward, eager to see who would emerge victorious out of these two favorites.

Wallace lost. Gray did not.

As Gray was making his way out of the stadium, already thinking about his next battles (and lunch), he considered who his next opponent could be (and dinner), and if they were going to be strong enough to be a challenge for him (and his midnight snack). He was so preoccupied that he didn't even register the girl standing in front of him waving until he was almost upon her. At the last moment before impact, he stopped abruptly and stared at her.

"Hi!" She chirped cheerfully.

"...do I know you?" Gray replied tonelessly.

"...yes? I mean, you ran into me once before and almost did again!" She laughed.

"You're in my way. Not my fault if you're that dense. This is a pathway. People walk her-"

"Yeah yeah yeah," She cut him off, waving her hand in a 'whatever' gesture. "Anyway, name's Willow! What's yours?"

Gray was taken aback. Who did this girl think she was?  
"Guess."

"Oh, come on, don't be like that. I already know your name. It's called being polite!" She smiled and tilted her head at him, waiting for his response.

"...it's Gray. Gray Get-Out-Of-The-Way."

She giggled. "That's a strange name."

He stared at her for a moment longer before she stepped out of the pathway.

"I'll be seeing you, Gray Get-Out-Of-The-Way!" She happily spoke, turning around and walking off briskly.

Gray shook his head. " _That is one weird girl._ "

Max was in disbelief. Wallace had been completely obliterated by Gray. He understood that Wallace had a type disadvantage against Magnezone, but this was ridiculous. He thought that since Wallace used to be a champion, he would at least have a chance. But throughout the entire battle, Gray had looked disappointed, even slightly bored! He considered himself a decent trainer, considering he had made it to the semi-finals of this tournament. Although, even he had to admit that some of the trainers he fought were below par. Max shuddered as he stared at the match ups. Cynthia vs. Steven. Max vs Gray. Max knew he had been getting lucky with his trainers thus far, but luck could only get you so far. He would have to train harder than ever.

Ash sat casually against the wall of his suite watching his pokemon mill around. It was after dark, and there wasn't much to do. For once, Gray had let his guard down. He wasn't Gray, the tough as nails fighter anymore. He was Ash Ketchum, the ten year old who set out on his journey loving pokemon every step of the way. He had suppressed most of his memories and feelings from… that day, but seeing his old friends and the familiar atmosphere of the battle was bringing back echoes of his past that he wanted to forget. Sorrowfully, he gazed at the quite empty spot on his shoulder. _I miss the little guy…_ Ash thought to himself. Ever since Pikachu had left, he felt like there was a part of him missing. A part that could never be filled.

He closed his eyes as the memory came back to him…

 _The day was beautiful. The sun was high in the air and there were little to no clouds in the sky, but the weather was the last thing on Ash Ketchum's mind._

 _Ash felt tears roll down his cheek. He quickly wiped them away, but the feeling of wetness on his cheeks lingered.  
"But… why?" Was all he could muster to ask._

 _Pikachu's own eyes were watery, but he gazed steadily back at Ash._

" _Pika… pikachu." He spoke sorrowfully._

" _I-I thought you guys could handle it! Everything I did, I did it for us! It's always been our dream… right?"_

 _Pikachu shook his head slowly and pointed at Ash's chest. Ash felt his breath catch, as he stared back at Pikachu in shock. His world shattered. He could hear his other pokemon murmur among themselves but he ignored them in favor of staring at the blurry image of Pikachu._

" _...you… you don't want to battle with me? You were okay with how things were before but it's too intense for you now…?"_

 _Pikachu nodded sadly._

 _Ash bowed his head. Pikachu had always had reservations about the new training methods. He had kept expressing the utmost hate for them, and Ash usually let him slack off. He was hoping if he didn't push Pikachu too hard he would relent, but Pikachu had enough. The tears came faster and harder this time, and he let them fall._

 _They landed at Pikachu's feet, and they both stood there, neither of them making a sound, like they were playing an unspoken game where the first to move loses. They stayed stagnant for quite some time, and slowly the pokemon behind Ash wandered away, giving the duo their space._

 _Eventually, Ash was the first to speak._

" _Ar-" His voice caught and he cleared his throat. "Are you sure?"_

 _Pikachu, not trusting himself to speak, nodded._

 _Until that moment, Ash had held out a glimmer of hope that he could convince Pikachu to stay, but that glimmer of hope was wiped away, as Ash wiped away his tears. He gazed down at Pikachu and their eyes met. In that instant, Ash had never felt more connected to his partner. Their minds said everything they could not speak aloud, and the memories of a thousand adventures lept between them, and Ash doubted his decision. Maybe he should go easier on his training, maybe he didn't have to be the very best, maybe they could go back to traveling like they used to, then Pikachu would stay-_

 _And then Pikachu broke eye contact, and it was over. His feeling of connection was replaced by sheer loneliness, and he outstretched his arm, wanting to take it all back. But the words wouldn't come, and as he watched Pikachu's retreating form, he was hoping against hope that Pikachu would leap up his arm and nestle himself in the crook of his neck._

 _Pikachu never looked back._

Ash shook his head, willing himself to forget his most painful memory.  
"I gotta find something to do." He spoke out loud, and his Pokemon looked at him with confusion. Returning his pokemon, he stood up and stretched out his muscles. Turning suddenly and walking to the door, he slammed it open and was met face to face with Max Maple.

Dumbfounded, he blinked his eyes, trying to comprehend why Max was standing outside of his hotel room. Max grinned up at him.

"Hi! Was checking for the front desk if you needed more soap." Max said convincingly. Gray's eyebrows rose and without missing a beat, replied: "Ah yes, one moment."

Gray spun smartly on his heel and strode into the bathroom. Max heard some rustling sounds and he tilted his head in confusion before Gray walked out and over to his balcony with a handful of soap. Opening the slider, he reared back and hucked it off the railing with as much force as he could muster. Closing the slider and walking back over to Max, he resumed his original position.

"Sure."

Closing the door behind him, Gray walked off down the hallway, hands in his pockets. Gray's eyes narrowed as he walked away. He knew Max was spying on him. He'd been standing outside for the past ten minutes before Gray opened the door. Kid was probably trying to gain an advantage for their upcoming battle. Didn't matter. Max was next.

The room was cold. Snow fell lightly from the ceiling. A dark shape sat, watching a fight between Wallace and a certain trainer. _Hmm. Maybe this trainer will be an actual challenge._ He snorted remembering the last tournament winner. Cynthia. She was strong, he would give her that. Maybe the strongest trainer besides him. But now that Gray had appeared. Maybe he would give him the challenge he so strongly desired. Don't disappoint me, Ash Ketchum.

 **AN: Happy Late New Years! Another story from your Average Mailman into your inbox. Big thanks to all who have reviewed, follow, and favorited. I would like to give a shoutout to Guest, who comments on every chapter with the same thing. 'Please Update.' Thanks for the support! We actually look forward to seeing that message every time we post a chapter. Please continue doing so until we're done with this story. Enjoy this chapter, and we'll hit you with another one before ya know it. Sorry for the delay. Also, Wallace vs Ash. If you want, we can put a fight scene between them, but we just thought that people would get tired of Ash obliterating his opponents. There will be at least three more battle scenes.**


	10. A Battle of Old Friends

Chapter 10:

Gray's eyes met with his. It was finally time. Finally, he could show them what he was made of. Max shivered in excitement and anticipation. Both were standing across from each other in a strange, shimmering arena. It was a terraform-adapter arena. Latest tech, able to change biomes and whatever else the officials deemed appropriate for this duel. Max grit his teeth.

" _This will be quite the tussle."_

Gray smirked in knowing appreciation of the battle yet to come. Max had been very lucky thus far, and they both knew it. In fact, Gray was pleasantly surprised that Max had made it far enough to face him in combat, and he couldn't wait to really unleash 2% of his power.

Max, meanwhile, was blissfully unaware of the carefully concealed glee bubbling in Gray's mind, as he carefully thought out which pokemon to use in battle.

" _Let's see…"_ Max thought to himself. _"All I know is that he has a magnezone… not much to go on. Definitely use Sceptile, type advantage. Pikachu, cause he's my strongest. I guess I could use Camerupt against Magnezone. Alright."_

Gray stared silently ahead, face not reflecting any of the emotions he was feeling. If you were to compare him to a rock, the rock would have more emotion. Max was not intimidated.

The announcer gave his signature shout that the audience was used to by now, and the two contestants walked to the center of the field. Neither stuck out their hand for the customary shake, and the crowd gasped. Gray nodded approvingly at Max, who glared back defiantly. In sync, they spun around on their heels and walked back to their designated position. They stared at each other from across the battlefield, sweat already dripping down Max's face onto the insides of his glasses. The sun was out, beating down on them. Everyone in the crowd winced when they saw that Gray was still wearing the trench coat, on an even hotter day than the one where he absolutely brutalized Paul. Max readied his pokeball in his hand. Rearing back, he threw the ball out onto the field. A large, red cow-camel looking hybrid came out of the ball. Gray snorted when he saw the camerupt on the field. He reached into his belt and pulled out a single pokeball. Without a word, he flicked his wrist and sent out Magnezone. Or so everyone thought. The shape that emerged from the Pokeball was much larger than Magnezone.

"TYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" A loud, ear shattering roar came from the shape that was definitely not Magnezone. Max knew he was instantly screwed when he saw the Pokemon that had emerged. Tyranitar, the pseudo legendary pokemon.

" _Maybe,"_ he thought, _"I can catch Gray off guard."_

"Camerupt, use earth power!" He said, throwing his hand out to emphasize. Gray clapped his hands in response, confusing everyone in the stadium except Tyranitar.

"CAME-RUPT!" Camerupt roared as he slammed his front legs into the ground, causing eruptions along the field to occur. Tyranitar stood there for a second, gauging the attack's strength before snorting. With a mighty leap, Tyranitar slammed all 445 pounds of pure muscles into the ground. The resulting shake was one that rivaled the Great Chilean Earthquake, albeit in a much more concentrated area to reduce the risk of death. Camerupt stood no chance, falling over, repeatedly getting pummeled by the shaking rocks and boulders. By the end of the attack, Max's first pokemon had been knocked out in a whopping total of one move. The arena was silent. Max stared in disbelief at his pokemon laying on the destroyed ground. The silence was broken by Gray tsking.

"You know. For someone who made it to the semi-finals, you sure are weak." Max seethed silently but didn't respond, knowing that he had no argument. Silently, he returned his camerupt.

"Good job," he said quietly to the pokeball before raising his head and saying louder, "Go! Sceptile!" The Hoenn starter burst from the pokeball. Gray raised an eyebrow slightly before motioning for Tyranitar to stay on the battle field.

"HOLD IT! We are going to switch arenas. Because this one is completely pulverized." Sceptile leapt of the stage while Tyranitar lumbered off to the side. Max's eyes narrowed.

" _Hmm. It's not that fast. That's something I can use._ " When the field had been changed, the pokemon resumed their spots on the battlefield.

"Sceptile! Use quick attack!" With movement that could not be tracked by the human eye, Sceptile leapt forward. Tyranitar stood there, looking unimpressed. So far, in this battle between the two pokemon, Tyranitar had yet to move. He had taken every single attack Max and Sceptile had thrown at him. Leaf Blade, Pound, another Leaf Storm. Max grit his teeth together as the quick attack looked as if the opposing pokemon had been given a massage.

" _By the end of this,"_ He groaned, massaging his aching jaw. _"I'm going to grind them into dust."_

"Sceptile! Back and use Sunny Day!" Sceptile raised his head to the sky and closed his eyes. The effect was instantaneous. Absolutely nothing had changed. It was already so hot and sunny, that it actually made it colder. Max mentally slapped himself while Gray raised a singular eyebrow.

"An interesting move by Max here. Too bad it did nothing!" The announcer said, chuckling uncertainty. Cilan sighed.

"An interesting flavor Max has just tossed into his bowl of ingredients."

"Shut up, Cilan." Everyone around him chorused.

Meanwhile, Max had already told Sceptile to charge up a Solar Beam.

With a mighty roar, Sceptile released one of the most powerful solar beams of the tournament. Tyranitar prepared to jump over it, before Gray's voice stopped him.

"Take it." Max and the crowd gasped, wondering if Gray was insane. As it turned out, no, he was, in fact, quite sane. Tyranitar braced himself and a massive explosion erupted from the point of impact. Max grinned, knowing it was a direct hit.

"Hey Gray! How does it feel to be one pokemon do-" Max's smug voice cut off as he gaped at the clearing smoke. Tyranitar, stood there, moved back a total of 15.69 centimeters.

"Counter." That singular word was like a judge giving the go ahead for an execution. The full force of the Solar Beam came back at Sceptile at unimaginable speeds. And double the power. Max sobbed silently to himself as he saw the fate that awaited his pokemon. Sceptile turned around, and nodded his head, as if accepting Max's silent apology. He bowed his head. Raising the pokeball off his belt, Max recalled his faithful starter, before he lowered his head. Max grit his teeth and raised his head, eyes full of determination. The crowd cheered at the determination of the young trainer. May and Brock roared with the crowd, the other friends also cheering just as loud. Max pointed dramatically to nowhere in particular, although later people would speculate that he was either pointing at Gray's forehead or a random teenage girl behind him.

"PIKACHU! LET'S SHOCK SOME SENSE INTO HIM!" Max shouted with gusto. Cilan nodded appreciatively at the vague electricity puns. Ash raised the other eyebrow as he saw his old starter leap out onto the field, cheek pouches sparking. He returned Tyranitar and picked up another pokeball.

"Time to meet an old friend, buddy." He tossed the pokeball out onto the field. "Let's show him how strong our training made us."

Pikachu's legs trembled. Max's nails dug into his palms and his eyes stung as he glared across the battlefield at Charizard and Gray.

"Come on Pikachu! You can do it!" Max called out unconvincingly. Pikachu turned back and gave a weak thumbs up before falling onto all fours and sparking his electric cheeks at Charizard and growling weakly.

The fire pokemon snorted.  
"Pikachu! USE THUNDER!" Max shouted, voice cracking.

Pikachu gathered the remnants of its energy for one last attack. Electric sacs crackling with energy, Pikachu stood up defiantly and roared out, and a massive blast of electricity erupted from dark clouds above, striking Charizard with precision, crackling and blasting Pikachu back from where he stood with its own energy.

Max fist pumped. " _Nice!"_ He breathed. Then cringed, as he saw Charizard had taken the full brunt of the attack without flinching.

Gray scoffed. "Let me show you a real attack. Charizard… _**Blast Burn**_ _._ "

Max gasped and frantically gesticulated at Pikachu, words that were barely comprehensible spewing from his mouth.  
"P-pikachu! Dodge it! Use double team!"

Pikachu unsteadily began to run, slowly picking up speed, as Charizard readied his fearsome attack. The temperature in the arena was tangibly rising, and many of the onlookers began fanning themselves or taking off shirts. May, however, seemed to not be affected by the rising temperature, and instead was focused on Max, muttering under her breath.

Charizard's neck bent backwards from the sheer effort of charging his attack, as more and more flame gathered around his mouth.

"Return your Pokemon." Max's head snapped around to glare at Grey, who had spoken softly, but clearly.

"No! Pikachu can still fight!" Max shouted back.

Gray shrugged, and put his hands onto his hips. Pikachu dashed around Charizard at a dizzying speed, and Max thrust out his hand.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"

Pikachu leapt at Charizard and whipped around, tail glowing a bright silver, and gleaming dangerously. The tail collided with Charizard's body and a thunk rang out, but Charizard swatted Pikachu away easily. The mouse pokemon landed hard on his side, and gasped as the wind was knocked out of him.

"Pikachu! I believe in you!" Max shouted, tears of frustration beginning to well up in his eyes. Never before had he felt so powerless. There was nothing he could do against his opponent. All of the pokemon Gray had were too strong. He grit his teeth. He would go down fighting. If he was meant to lose this: so be it. He would damage Charizard as much as possible.

"Thunder Wave!" Max commanded.

Pikachu shot a circle of sparking electricity at Charizard, and the fire pokemon grunted as the Thunder Wave took effect, paralyzing him and slowing his movement speed.  
"Thunder Shock!" Came the second command.

A bolt of deadly electricity shot out of Pikachu and struck Charizard, and he flinched. Max saw his chance and took it.

"Volt tackle!"

The electric pokemon shot towards Charizard in an all out attack with its last bit of energy.

"Now." Gray spoke, lifting his hand, directing Charizard's attack.

At once, the audience felt a wave of pure heat wash over them, and they flinched. It felt like standing under a hot shower for a moment before you pull yourself back. Hundreds of flames erupted from Charizard's maw, and absolutely blasted the poor pokemon. Gray's hand stayed up, and the inferno continued. Finally, Gray must have decided that Max and Pikachu had enough, and his hand dropped. The flames ceased almost instantly. The crowd was murmuring among themselves.

" _Why's Gray being so ungodly harsh and brutal?"_ The whispers said.

Max's spirits plummeted as he saw Pikachu laying on the ground, fur singed and barely breathing.

"Pikachu? Pikachu! Come on buddy, I know you still have it in you!" Max shouted, hands raising into fists.

The crowd gasped as Pikachu's arm twitched, and then moved to lift himself up. Gray's expression was one of mild surprise.

" _Pikachu always did give it his all."_ Gray thought somewhat proudly. _"But that won't be enough this time."_

"Call back Pikachu. He's obviously spent." Gray called out at Max.

Max seemed not to hear and was clenching his hands, watching Pikachu struggle to get up. Brock shook his head.

"Come on Max. Recall him." Brock said, under his breath. May heard him and nodded her head silently but Max, obviously, didn't hear.

"Max," Gray said. "You're failing your pokemon right now. He's down." This was the most anyone had heard Gray speak since the beginning of the tournament.

Pikachu finally stood, wobbling unsteadily, eyes drooping. "Pii…"

"Pikachu-" Max started to give an order to the exhausted pokemon, and Charizard readied himself, planting his feet and huffing smoke.

Brock shook his head. His stubbornness had prevailed.

"MAX!" Gray shouted, raising his voice, shocking everyone.

"-use Thunder!" Max finished. Charizard instantly readied a flamethrower, gathering energy and charging it to the heat of a large furnace in seconds. Pikachu's cheeks sparked weakly, and a tiny bolt of energy fizzled out. Gray lowered his head.

As Charizard prepared to incinerate the mouse pokemon, Gray held up his hand.

"Charizard, enough." Gray said with finality. The fire type pokemon couldn't just suck the flames back into his body, so he pointed his mouth upward and released a stream of fire. It was a sight to behold. It was like an alpha male who had just established dominance over the pack. The flames ripped through the air and singed the glass at the announcer's booth, and sent fire particles wafting around the entire arena, making a spectacular end to the battle.

"Max." Gray said again. His voice was quiet but it seemed to echo to every corner of the stadium. "You have failed your pokemon as a trainer."  
Max fell to his knees and watched Pikachu try to keep his balance. "But…"

Gray shook his head and Max's jaw snapped closed. He seemed almost disappointed in Max, like a father who had caught his child in a lie. Max's sadness and frustration at losing quickly boiled over into anger. Who was Gray to talk down to him like he was a mere child? He knew the capabilities of his pokemon! Gray knew nothing about Pikachu.  
"You've lost. Keep some dignity and admit defeat." Gray's pokeball was out and rested at his side gently, ready to recall his victor.

Max bowed his head and seethed. After a few seconds, he looked towards the announcer's booth.

"I... forfeit." He said finally. May gasped as she looked at her brother. His dejected body language. It reminded her of Ash after he had just lost another league. Instant sympathy washed over her, and she put her hands on her hips, ready to give Max a pep talk right when he walked out.

Gray nodded at the announcer and recalled Charizard. He strode towards the opposite end of the field, but paused when he reached Pikachu, who had finally collapsed. The electric pokemon's body was shaking gently, trying to draw breath. He was exhausted. Gray bent down, and placed his hand onto Pikachu's neck. He stirred a little, waking at the familiar touch. Gray scratched Pikachu behind his cheek where he knew he loved to be rubbed, and stood up. Pikachu groaned in response, questioning how and why this trainer had just scratched him in his secret spot. But Gray ignored Pikachu's tiny outstretched paw, which was begging for information, and walked away. Max stood his ground as Gray walked towards him, gritting his teeth angrily.  
Instead of telling Max to move like he had expected, the cloaked figure simply walked around him and continued out of the arena, picking up his final victory before the finals. Max whipped around furiously, making to leave the arena as well, when soft words stopped him in his tracks. Gray was speaking, but he hadn't turned around. Coming to a stop, Gray inclined his head slightly in Max's direction so he could better pick up the words.

"Take better care of your pokemon. Or you may lose them." And with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.

Lost in thought, Gray was hardly thinking about where he was going. He knew this path by heart. It was, of course, the path to his favorite restaurant with his favorite cook and his favorite meal-

"HEY, WATCH IT!"

Gray stopped cold, shocked. A slender figure was standing in front of him, calmly looking at him and holding their hand up slightly. Gray raised an eyebrow.

"What."

"You almost ran into me again, Gray Get-Out-Of-The-Way." Willow smiled.

"Oh, it's you." Gray sidestepped her and kept walking.

"So, where ya going?" She fell into sync with him, matching his pace.

"None of your business." He said, speeding up slightly.

"Oh come on, are you going back to your Fortress of Solitude or something?" Willow questioned, putting her hand on her chin. She was still matching his steps.

"No." Gray responded sharply, picking up the pace.

"What about your evil lair?" She laughed, keeping up with him.

"NO." Gray snapped, breaking into a run.

"So, where are you going then?" She responded, tilting her head. Somehow, she was still side by side with him.

"GUCHOS!" Gray shouted angrily, lowering his head and sprinting as fast as possible.

"What in the name of Arceus is that?" Willow chirped, _who was still next to him, running at full tilt_.

"It's a restaurant." Gray spoke, as they whizzed by befuddled passerbys. "And we're here." They both skidded to a halt in front of a grand restaurant garnished with fancy decorations. "My favorite."

Willow glanced at Gray, who was panting heavily from the run.  
"I'm guessing you never ran track as a kid?" She teased.

"Shut up. You try running with a full trench coat and two layers on underneath in a hundred degree heat."

Ignoring him, Willow glanced at the entrance, which looked warm and inviting.

"Well, you said _we're_ here, so I guess I'm now invited?" She chuckled, and opened the door for Gray.

"Ladies first?" She smirked.

He stared at her, then rolled his eyes.  
"Fine, do whatever you want. Don't expect me to talk to you, though." He pushed passed her into the restaurant to seat himself at his usual table.

"Oh, that's okay!" She said excitedly, running up and clasping her hands together. "I'll talk enough for the both of us."

The last sound that could be heard from inside the rapidly closing door was a heaving sigh.

A/N Hey guys. Average Mailman here, sliding another sweet story right into your mailbox! So, some of you guys might be getting worried that we abandoned this story or something. We will NEVER abandon this story, only put it on brief hiatus if necessary. Sorry this chapter was a little late. Also, yes, Tyranitar can learn counter, but only in Leafgreen and Emerald for some reason.


	11. A Thoughtful Discussion

_Ash watched her bemusedly as she splashed in the water. "The temperature's great, come on in!" She said, as the sun beat down at 100 degrees and Ash stood there in his black trench coat._

 _Ash smiled, relaxing his cheek muscles out of a tight lipped frown for the first time in a long time. Willow laughed, tossing her hair over her shoulder…_

 _Willow slapped Ash's back teasingly and he started, but smiled a moment later._

 _She embraced him, and he shirked away at first, unused to the physical contact._

 _Ash smiled softly as he walked down the path, staring ahead of him. Willow ran down the path turning around once every so often, giving him_ that _grin._

All these memories made Ash finally come through. For once, it was not Gray, but Ash who was at the forefront of his mind. It had been the longest time since he had been able to distinguish between what he was faking, and what was real. In fact, he couldn't remember what he was acting. But he knew, these memories was not fake happiness, but pure, unadulterated, jubilation. Ash was brought out of his musings by a figure leaning against his arm, clutching as if it was a lifeline. Willow looked up at him with a slight smile playing at the edge of her lips, before she started to tickle Ash's arm. He gave a sound of surprise before throwing up his arms in a defensive position. Here, in the confines of his hotel room, Ash could be himself, not Gray. Here, he felt truly happy. His pokemon sat nearby, watching the struggle from the two humans, laughter echoing around the rooms.

"He seems happy. Much happier than I have ever seen him." Lucario said after a pause.

"Yes, indeed." Greninja spoke out from his seat on the couch.

"I like this huma-" Magnezone began to buzz.

"Can't you ever say _anything_ else?" Charizard interrupted, glaring at Greninja.

"Yes, indeed." Greninja turned to meet the hot-headed pokemon with a cool gaze.

"I remember…"Greninja reminisced, ignoring Charizard. The pokemon all paused, waiting to hear what Greninja had to say. Although he rarely talked, Greninja was usually very wise in wordly topics, and all the Pokemon agreed that in terms of human matters, Greninja was the smartest. Greninja, of course, humbly disagreed.

"...a time when Gray used to be this happy daily…" Greninja finished serenely.

Lucario straightened up. Many of his new pokemon had not had the chance to hear of Gray's past, and the reason behind his ungodly harshness and brutality.

"What happen-" Magnezone whirred, before the door slammed open as Gray walked out of the room with Willow. "-ed?" He finished, the whirr somehow sounding annoyed.

Greninja stared into space, seemingly not hearing. Seeing that they would not get an answer from Greninja, they turned to Charizard, whom they knew would know as much, if not more, than Greninja about this subject. Although the topic of Gray's past was shrouded in mystery among the pokemon, everyone knew that Charizard was his #1 way back in the day. Charizard grimaced when he saw all the eyes turn to him, and let out a grunt. He cast his eyes from side to side, as if expecting to see Gray hiding under the couch behind him, watching his every move. He sighed and shifted, getting comfortable. He cleared his throat and one eye opened a tad. He gauged the other's interest with a half lidded eye. Although Charizard was relatively sour in general, he was a sucker for attention. He _loved_ telling stories for the others. And since he'd travelled so many regions, he had a lot of them. The others were dead silent. He couldn't resist.

"Ash," He began eloquently, "As he was called back then, used to be like every other boy. Young, spry, and with foolish hopes of becoming a Pokemon Master. He tried to win many leagues, failed each time, but came close. Not out of skill, but pure stubbornness and luck. It was honestly somewhat pathetic. I even refused to serve under him for a time when he was being especially ignorant about pokemon."

The others looked taken aback. Everyone here knew hands down that Gray was the best trainer in the region, and probably the world. Imagining a "pathetic" version of him was a difficult task.

"In his final league, the Kalos league, he was defeated by his friend Alan in the finalies." Charizard said in a low voice, claws crossed.

Greninja turned slightly, as if to avoid acknowledging what Charizard was saying. He was the one who fought Alan's Charizard and failed, so Greninja blamed himself for Ash's transformation and the events that took place after his final loss.

"It broke his heart," Charizard continued, "Knowing that he had come so close yet again, and failed. He hurt, but it was only amplified when his 'friends' took him aside and told him to quit his dream. They told him he would never be a good trainer, to settle down, to get a steady job somewhere. Ash wouldn't accept this, however, and went to the lab, where all of his pokemon from his many other adventures stayed..." Here, Charizard's voice hitched slightly he paused.

All the Pokemon started as Greninja took over. "Ash asked us who would travel and train with him to prove his old friends wrong.'"

The others were shocked. Greninja rarely spoke, and to hear this many words from him was unusual to say the least. But he wasn't done speaking.

"Many of us chose to leave him that day, and it shattered his heart even more that the pokemon that he dedicated his life for gave up on him. Sceptile, Charizard, Bayleef, Heracross, his closest friend, Pikachu, and finally myself chose to go with him. Sceptile and Heracross gave up first. They were out before the first month was up. That was back when Ash was still trying to figure out training regimes and it was actually too boring for them. They didn't think it was helping and by the time Ash refined the training program enough for their standards, they were gone."

Greninja stopped suddenly, eyes closed. He was perfectly still, and the others held their breath, tension in the air building.

When it became evident that Greninja was not going to continue, Charizard cleared his throat and started speaking, voice now steady.

"Bayleef tried to continue, but she was never… ah… that fit. Eventually, she too gave in."  
 _"Bayyy." The cry was almost not heard above the sobs of a teenage boy, hugging the neck of one of his pokemon. The raven haired boy's hair was even messier than normal, and tears ran freely down his cheeks into the soft fur of the grass type's neck. Like silent onlookers at a funeral, Ash's other pokemon watched the scene solemnly._

" _I… I understand. It's okay, you're forgiven. I'll come and visit you!" The words tumbled out, wet with sadness._

" _Bay!" She groaned sadly. With one last cry, Ash tore himself from Bayleef's neck and watched her trot off into the sunset. It was bittersweet. No, on second thought, it was just bitter. Ash made a promise to himself as she limped away, favoring her left front leg, that he would be sure to set up proper safe areas to train for his pokemon in the future._

'It… it took a long time for Ash to figure out how to be an adult," Charizard sighed, "And by the time he did, it was kind of too late. Almost all of his companions had given up. The only ones left were me and Greninja. Hell, even Pikachu left at the very end."

The others gasped. They hadn't ever dared ask about Pikachu's disappearance. They all knew that Gray used to have a Pikachu that he was close with, but whenever anyone brought up anything close to the yellow mouse pokemon, Gray's eyes would darken dangerously and his temper would become red hot. He was never a pleasant person to deal with normally, but adding additional volatility made him downright mean.

And so, the topic was avoided.

"...is that when Gray became… Gray?" Lucario almost whispered in awe. His paws were quivering with excitement. Charizard snorted.

"Don't wet yourself." Everyone knew of Lucario's almost fanatical worshipping of Gray, and yet Gray did not seem to notice. It always served to amuse the other pokemon whenever Gray brushed Lucario off.

Charizard waved his claw dismissively and continued, "Anyway, yeah, around that time, Ash began going by 'Gray' because he needed a fake identity for the nearby town."

"How come?" Tyranitar grumbled, having spoken for the first time in hours.

Charizard's head whipped around to stare face to face with Tyranitar's hulking mass. He did not seem intimidated in the slightest.

"Because," He snapped. "He didn't want anyone to know he was Ash. Duh."

Tyranitar nodded slowly, taking this in. He may have been brawny, but he was far from brainy.

Charizard turned triumphantly back to the others, shrugging and making faces.

Tyranitar looked at the ceiling, lost in thought. The others would not hear him speak again for another few hours. The room was silent for a few moments before it was broken by the door slamming open.

Everyone jumped as Gray walked in. None of them had noticed that he had walked out of the room, and as a result, they stared at him, and he paused. Gray gave them a raised eyebrow, seeing them huddled in the corner, staring wide eyed and looking extremely guiltily at him.

"...the hell are you guys staring at?" He inquired before shaking his head and walking over to the bed, before proceeding to flop down onto it. The pokemon were silent, pondering what they had heard.

The mood in the room was somber. Max had been eliminated by Gray, a strong trainer. Scratch that, an insanely strong trainer. He had wiped the floor with all of Max's Pokémon, even Pikachu, with ease.

"Well, you got to the semifinals at least! That's pretty good, especially because some of the trainers here are the best in the world." Everyone knew this was a weak argument. Any trainer could enter. The only requirement was to have participated in a league. You didn't even have to place high. Max snorted.

"You know I only got to the semi's because all my opponents were pushovers. Let's face it. I shouldn't have gone past the second round. The second I get a strong trainer, I get swept." The rest of the friends sat silently, watching the siblings argue.

"He swept a champion! You shouldn't feel too bad." This only made Max feel slightly better. He glanced over at Pikachu, and saw the usually hyperactive Pokémon looking unusually thoughtful, with a weird expression on his face. Max hoped he didn't feel too bad that he got beaten so badly. Brock sighed in the corner.

"Well… I suppose we can all stay and watch the finals and the Master's battle." Cilan and the others nodded. Max did not, instead he was staring at Pikachu. He had been like that ever since the battle against Gray. It was starting to worry him.

"You alright there, Pikachu?" Max asked gently, tilting his head. Although Max could be impulsive and short tempered sometimes, he did genuinely care for the wellbeing of his pokemon.

Pikachu just looked at him and nodded. It seemed whatever was on his mind was personal. Whatever, that was Pikachu's business. Max stretched and yawned.

"...are we gonna go and see the finals?" Brock said eventually.

"We didn't come all the way here not to watch the finals, babe." May said teasingly, putting her hand onto Brock's arm.

They continued to talk amongst themselves, laughing and joking, as the sun set lower and lower in the sky.

AN: Hey guys, Average Mailman, whipping a quick one into your inbox. Just here to let you know that we won't be abandoning the story, if we go a long time without an update. Things get in the way, so we don't have many opportunities to work in the story lately. We'll try to push another chapter out shortly, but no promises. Review, it really helps motivate us. Until next time!


	12. Anticipation

AN: Sooooooooooooooo. Hey? Been awhile, but the Mailman that was supposed to deliver wasn't average enough. That's our excuse.(We were just lazy and never had time to write it) Enjoy!

The fan whirred. It was a peaceful noise, Gray decided. Monotonous, not too distracting. Definitely a bit different from the chirping of the kricketot in the night and the wind rustling the winds of the trees. He liked it, though. It was a more predictable sound. Easier to anticipate what was coming next. Somehow more relaxing, but less adventurous at the same time.

"Of course I'm not." He said suddenly, voice thundering through the silence. He paused for a moment, as if waiting for a response, but there was no noise in the now once again silent room.

"Yeah, whatever. You know that he'll be strong enough." Again, he paused, only to continue once more.

"If that happens, sure. I doubt it though. And besides, you don't want to ruin the surprise." After that statement, Gray stayed tense for a moment longer before relaxing and rolling over, conversation apparently over. Gray shifted a bit, putting his hands behind his head to stare up at the ceiling contemplatively.

The fan continued to whirr, broken only minutes later by Gray's snoring.

Gray walked down the road towards the arena in which his battle against Cynthia would take place.

"Hey! Good luck!" At first, Gray thought these were just the words of another mindless fan, seeing his new favorite trainer and wishing them luck. He scoffed. Thousands of trainers and randoms he'd never seen before in his life would suddenly die on a burning stake for him if he commanded it just because he won a few battles. Big deal. Pausing, he turned his head slightly towards the group of people behind him, ready to dismiss them. It took him a second to register who they were, and another to decide what to do. Keep walking and ignore them? It was tempting. Very tempting. Ash wanted to go back and see his friends, even if they would not know it was him.

 _Just to gloat._ He told himself. _Just for a moment._ He wasn't very convincing. Spinning on his heel, Gray swaggered towards them. His old friends looked surprised. They hadn't expected Gray to engage them, only to simply nod his head and continue to walk. They were taken aback that he turned around and strode towards them, trench coat whooshing behind him as he whipped around to accost them. Come to think of it, Brock could not recall a time they hadn't seen Gray with a trench coat on. Did he sleep in it too? Shower in it? Hell, what if he even went to the toil-

"Good luck in the battle, Gray!" Misty chirped from the end of their messy clump. "We'll be cheering you on!" Everyone voiced their agreement. Except Dawn, who sniffed. She was from Sinnoh and wanted Cynthia to win. Again. And Max. No surprise there, why would he want the person who had humiliated and destroyed him in front of thousands to win? Gray chuckled lightly, as if amused by a joke only he was in on.

This many years later, and his ex-friends, the ones who told him to give up on being a trainer, were wishing him luck in the Finals of the Master's League? The irony amused Gray greatly. Slowly, he nodded his head in acceptance. He opened his mouth, about to say something, but decided better, and his jaw snapped shut. His face contorted into a thoughtful look, and he walked past the group in the opposite direction from which he had been originally been walking, still thinking. They exchanged looks with one another before Cilan spoke up.

"Um..." Cilan muttered uncertainly before raising his voice. "Weren't you going in the other direction!?" He called out to the retreating form of Gray. Gray stopped, spun once again on his heels and walked in the correct way to his destination, nodding smartly at them again as he passed.

Unsurprisingly, excitement was high for the final battle. You could feel the excitement resonating in the air. This was perhaps the most anticipated battle since Red vs. Blue.

Cynthia vs. Gray. Two absolute monsters in the tournament. Bets were placed, seats were filled, announcements were made. However, oblivious to everything, was a lone figure. Sitting inside the entrance tunnel to the arena. Gray, the trainer that had seemingly come out of nowhere. He sat there, musing about how he had gotten there.

It had been a long journey, that's for sure. Gray wasn't entirely sure when his goal had become winning the tournament and proving to the world that he was the best. It had been his goal when he had first set out on his journey, and he'd found no reason to alter that. Imagining becoming the greatest Pokemon trainer… it still gave him as much of a thrill to imagine his name topping the league rankings as it did when he was ten. A few times Ash had considered if he was growing too old to continue pursuing his journey like his past companions had mentioned all those years ago, but he saw no reason to stop. That meeting had been the "Wake Up Slap" that he'd needed. He knew the full extent of his Pokemon's power, and he knew how to control his emotions. Ash had gotten serious, and he wasn't about to stop when he was so close to the finish line.

As to how difficult of an opponent Cynthia would be? Psht, he'd faced better opponents than her in his sleep! Like…

 _Like…_ _hm…_

Now that Gray thought about it, he hadn't ever gone up against trainers as dynamic as Cynthia. It wasn't really a daily occurence to battle the two-time Master's tournament champion while digging in the bushes looking for pecha berries.

 _Well, I always have_ them _…_

Gray's musing was interrupted by the announcement that the tournament would soon begin.

Cynthia grinned enthusiastically as her eyes roamed across all the adoring fans in the arena. She grimaced slightly as she ran over a particularly _excited_ group of fans. A few of there more tame signs read, "MARRY ME CYNTHIA! I WANNA HAVE YOUR BABY!" Cynthia did not want to know how that worked. She tuned out the announcer as he continued his rambles, and her eyes focused in on Gray's tunnel. He had not yet come out, which wasn't very surprising as he usually came out 30 seconds before the match began. It would be exciting once the battle finally started. She considered the amusing possibility that Gray would fail to show up and she would win the battle by forfeit, but as she was contemplating how her fans would react if that were the case instead of the epic battle they were promised, Gray walked out of the tunnel.

Gray was robed in his signature black trench coat that the stadium had never seen him without, even though it was over 90 degrees, as was usual for that area. Why Gray chose the literal hottest thing you could choose to wear in the literal hottest known region was anyone's guess, but some swore since he was the devil himself, heat didn't bother him. The heat was definitely bothering Cynthia though. She had shed her usual black cloak, for a light blue tanktop with a pair of black baggy jeans.

Gray, for the first time in many years, was nervous. The unexpected emotion surprised him. He was not used to feeling this way.

 _Let's see..._ The last time he felt this way was… when Pikachu left. Even thinking of him hurt. Reminding him that a part of him left with his old life, and would never return.

 _Pikachu…_ he shook his head. This wasn't the time. It wouldn't do to get distracted now, in the most important battle of the tournament and against what would be his greatest opponent so far. He had to focus.

Gray took his assigned spot, as the announcer delivered the same spiel the audience had grown accustomed too.

Cynthia grinned at Gray, attempting to be friendly. "Was worried you weren't going to make it!" She called over to him, both knowing full well Gray was always exactly on time to every event so far. She'd studied him a bit before the battle, as one would expect from a trainer as successful as Cynthia. A trainer that came out of literally nowhere, with no past history, no other victories to his name, and only using ONE Pokemon throughout the entire competition? Unheard of. Cynthia suspected something was up, but she wasn't sure what. She couldn't shake the feeling that she knew who he was. But she dismissed it as his attitude being eeirily similar to the Pokemon Master's. But Gray took it to the extreme. You couldn't even hold a conversation with him. All she could do was keep her guard up for anything unexpected and battle her hardest. As she mentally ran through her roster, verifying her battle plan, she noticed Gray had not broken eye contact the entire time the announcer had been speaking.

Maintaining her level gaze with him, both elite trainers reached in unison towards their first selected Pokeball. They both knew by heart the words that would come next.

"Ready trainers? BATTLE!"

Snapping her hand back, Cynthia deftly clicked the Pokeball's release trigger with her thumb before spinning it in her hand and rearing back. However, she almost fell over when Gray reached his hand up to his forehead and made a familiar looking motion, then grabbed his pokeball and hurled it in an eerily recognizable motion that summoned his Magnezone.

 _That movement… It was identical to the one she had not seen since many years ago. Minus a hat._ Shaking it off, not fully understanding what she just witnessed, she instead underhanded her pokeball onto the battlefield, completely deflating from her earlier motion. There was a murmur in the crowd when they saw Cynthia's fumbled throw. But that was quickly dispelled when her Spiritomb came bursting out of the pokeball. Spiritomb looked good. Really good. Gray was impressed at how healthy and strong Spiritomb looked as it gave a battle cry.

 _Too bad Magnezone is better,_ Gray thought, as a sudden urge to gleefully giggle came over him. He was having fun.

He looked around, the noise of the crowd suddenly falling away. Suddenly, he was 10 again. He was surrounded by his friends… look, there they were on the bench over there! Even Pikac-

Gray shook his head and returned his attention to the fight, chiding himself for getting distracted. The excitement, no, the heat must have been getting to him. Best to not get distracted again.

The stadium shook as the two powerhouses clashed into one another once again. Cynthia grit her teeth. This was not how the battle was supposed to go when she was at the drawing board.

"Gyro Ball." Gray uttered. Cynthia reacted instantly.

"Ominous Wind. Don't let him get near you."

 _Good move,_ Gray thought, She definitely was not one of the other push over trainers he had faced previously. No matter. Magnezone started to spin, becoming a blur. Eventually, he began to move dangerously towards the forbidden pokemon. Spiritomb's head spun as a dark wind picked up behind it, blowing past it as if rushing forward to protect the pokemon. The wind slammed into the spinning magnezone, who began to pick up even more speed, with a force a gust of wind should not have, but it had no effect against the gyroing pokemon. Seeing her move fail, Cynthia threw her hands up with desperation and the start of a shout in an attempt to get her Pokemon to move out of the way, but it was too late. Much too late. Spiritomb's attempted dodge was in vain, and Magnezone slammed into the ghost pokemon at full force, equivalent to the force of 20,000 Newtons hitting a stick. Needless to say, Spiritomb was out cold.

"Wow," was Cynthia's response. It was also most of the crowds. And the announcer.

"Amazing…" Max whispered under his breath. He couldn't believe Gray had actually taken out one of Cynthia's pokemon. And in just a couple of minutes, too. It barely looked like Magnezone broke a sweat. _Who is he?_ Everyone wondered. The curiosity was eating Max up. Maybe that's what made Gray such a strong competitor. Everyone likes an underdog, and the fact that virtually no one knew who Gray was or where he came from made everyone believe it could be them, standing there, challenging the champion on her own turf. A far cry from reality, sure. But still a dream nonetheless. Brock stared silently out onto the field, observing. Brock had noticed something the others hadn't, being more interested in Gray than the rest of them. He'd always been interested in figuring out what made people tick, and Gray was the biggest mystery yet. Brock thought about Gray's earlier motion. He first remembered seeing it on a spunky little kid, fresh out of a small town. He had come to his gym, with a pikachu and pidgeotto. Against a rock gym, he had stood no chance. Brock had ridiculed him for his choice of Pokemon against a gym of rock type pokemon. He had run out the gym, the pikachu cradled in his arms. Brock had thought that would be the last he would see of the trainer. Boy, had he been surprised when the same kid walked in, looking even more confident than he had the first time.

 _The kid reached up to his hat, took a firm grip on the end and flipped it around. Brock rose an eyebrow. He hadn't done this last time he fought. Doesn't matter. The outcome would be the same._

" _Pidgeotto!" The bird came soaring out of the ball. Brock grinned. Should be fun. It was certainly better than taking care of 12 siblings. However, he was disappointed when he saw how little this trainer actually knew. He was stubborn, hot headed, and wanted to be the best trainer ever. Brock didn't know how to break it to the kid that he just wasn't champion material._

He still hasn't learned.

" _ONIX!" Brock cried out to his Pokemon as the rain showered down. He couldn't believe it. He had lost to a technicality. The fire sprinklers had gone on when the roof had somehow caught fire from the stray thunder bolts. Brock looked on in disbelief as the other trainer raised his hand to finish it off. He had lost to this trainer? "Ash", if that red haired girl that was sticking to his side was to be trusted. "Use your head, Ash!", she had said. He couldn't blame her. He had been thinking the same thing. He wasn't even- "Pikachu! Fini-" A gasp alerted Brock to something. He glanced up and saw his 12 siblings latched onto the trainer, preventing him from moving. Ash was struggling and rambling on about how his conscious was preventing him from doing something, but… He wanted his siblings to hold him. Wanted to complain how the trainer was only going to win by luck, and that this was only fair. But… that_ wouldn't _be fair. It was not the trainer's fault that the fire sprinkler had gone off. Mentally sighing, Brock walked forward._

" _Stop it. This is an official battle. We are going to finish it, no matter what." Brock already knew how this was going to finish. Ash seemed to pause for a second, then called out for Pikachu's return._

 _Brock was shocked. What was this trainer thinking? He'd gotten the luckiest win of his life, and the only time it would be against_ him. _He was making sure to fix those sprinklers first thing tomorrow. He had to admit, he respected the trainer's integrity. He knew he didn't deserve it, and wanted to prove his strength in a fair way._

Respectable indeed, _Brock thought. It was this event that later convinced Brock to join him in his travels._

 _It wouldn't be the last time he saw that hat turn._

Brock stared at Gray, his eyes not fully seeing him, still reminiscing of the past.

 _Gray… could you be…? No. It wasn't possible._

"We should go now!" A woman's voice said, clearly frustrated at the lack of movement from her partner. Her partner was leaned against the back wall, holding a rose slightly between his fingertips.

"No. We wait for him to be more tired. Then, we strike." The man smiled.


	13. A Familiar Interruption

AN: So for all of you guys that didn't get what happened with Willow, basically, she and Gray are really good friends/lovers if you wanna say that. It's just that we suck at writing romance stuff. So we kinda skimmed over it. Sorry if that confused anyone. She will make a couple more appearances. Leave a review telling us what you would like to see because the story is almost over!

Cynthia stared across the arena, trying to read her opponent. Gray gave nothing away, his face shadowed, posture the same as when the battle began.

"Roserade!" Cynthia called out her second pokemon, the grass type landing elegantly on her feet. Cynthia caught the ball as it returned and put her hands on her hips. Gray was tough. Probably the toughest opponent she'd ever faced. Only one trainer had drawn first blood on her since she had became champion. Brute force wasn't going to be enough to beat the mysterious trainer, she'd have to rely on her wits. Mind made up, she extended her hand to Roserade. Gray stood relaxed, letting her have the first move, as was customary.

"Use Sunny Day!" Cynthia screamed. Roserade instantly lept into action, pointing her flowers towards the sky and concentrating.

 _Interesting,_ Gray thought. _Must be going for a Solar Beam. Unless she's tricking me._ His eyes narrowed.

"Alright, let's go Magnezone. Use Metal Sound." Magnezone slammed its magnets together and began grinding them together, whirring as its screws began twisting and unscrewing out of its body simultaneously. A loud metallic screech emitted from Magnezone, making the audience clap their hands over their ears and groan. Roserade sank to the ground, special defense lowered greatly.

Cynthia quickly reached into her pocket and breathed a sigh of relief when she fit her earplugs in. She'd forgotten to put them in before the battle, but she thought Gray might have used a Screech or two. This was worse.

"Magic Coat!" Gray called out, as her Roserade began standing back up.

 _How in the hell is he not affected by the heat?_ Cynthia wondered, as the Sunny Day's rays streamed down upon the stadium. He stood there majestically, not moving in the slightest, arms crossed. _How the hell is he not affected by the sound?!_

Gray stood there stoically, blood slowly leaking out of his ears, body boiling. _Hm, that can't be healthy._ He thought. _Ah well._ A large purple barrier formed in front of Magnezone before being absorbed into him.

Cynthia narrowed her eyes. _So, he knows I'm going for a Solar Beam? Fine, but he won't expect this level of power._ Roserade's solar beam was legendary among Cynthia's fans for being an unstoppable force of power. Everyone was expecting it.

"Roserade!"

"Magnezone!"

"Use Solar Beam!"

"Use Light Screen!"

 _Aha!_ Cynthia thought gleefully. _He's going to try to tank it!_

"ROSERADE! FULL POWER!" Cynthia screamed. Gray raised an eyebrow.

Roserade was already glowing, but at Cynthia's command, began positively shining. Magnezone quickly generated an electromagnetic pulse wave in front of him by whirling his magnets around each other, then separated them to reveal a shining layer of pure light.

"THICKER!" Gray shouted, throwing out his hand for emphasis.

"MORE POWER!" Cynthia shouted back wildly, throwing both hands out for even more emphasis.

Roserade twirled around in the air and, generating enough solar energy to power a large city.

"Now." Gray whispered.

"NOW!" Cynthia roared, dropping her hand. It was a magnificent sight to behold. A beam of pure light shot forth from Roserade's clasped bouquet of death towards the Magnezone still cowering behind its flimsy light barrier.

"Mirror coat. Drop the light screen."

Cynthia's eyes bulged. _What did he just say?!_ _Mirror Coat does…_ _Ohhhhhh fuu-_

The light shimmered and disappeared from in front of Gray's steel type right as the energy beam was about to contact.

The beam of light emitting from Cynthia's to return Roserade was already on its way as Roserade's entire form was enveloped by a ray of pure white. A whispered, "I'm sorry," were her only words. Roserade's head tilted very slightly and nodded acceptingly before the light enveloped her completely. The beam came back to the pokeball. The stadium was silent, many still trying to absorb what happened.

Gray shook his head. His victory was dampened by how easy that was. He had expected better from the champion herself. Why was it like all the challenge dropped off the face of the earth, just when he'd gotten strong enough to challenge the best? Oh wait. He _was_ the best. Smiling evilly, he returned to the fight.

Cynthia grit her teeth. She'd let her guard down. Chastising herself, she thought about her next move. Her hand reached absentmindedly towards her midsection, instinct already guiding her towards the right choice. As her hand wrapped around the Pokeball, she suddenly felt a rush of something. Excitement. She was excited. Her eyes widened. It had been so long since she'd ever been able to have fun in a battle, especially against someone she could go all out against. Most of the challengers she fought in battle only just scraped past her Elite 4, and by the time they got to her… well, they didn't usually have many healing items left. She'd honestly considered letting trainers use a _**healing machine**_ in between rounds, just so that they'd be more of a challenge. But this? This was amazing! She wasn't expecting such a tough opponent, and before she'd even gotten to face the champion of the league!

"Alright Gray," She said quietly, the sound of a Pokeball expanding punctuating her words.

"Let's do this."

Willow smiled to herself, rocking back and forth slightly. She knew Gray was strong. Hell, she knew he was strong enough to beat Wallace. But she couldn't believe he was strong enough to take out Cynthia's first pokemon so… easily. It was unbelievable. She stared at the screen absentmindedly. Gray had told her of his plans in secret, but she had doubted him at the time. Maybe, just maybe… he could become the Master.

Gray could quite honestly say he did not expect this. He had been expecting Lucario, maybe even Gastrodon because of its type advantage. But honestly? Using Garchomp this early? She was either just stupid or planning something. He was tempted to say the first one, but he knew better. Cynthia was a dangerous opponent, and just because he caught her off guard on Round #2

"I did not expect that." Gray uttered. Cynthia grinned. She knew he wouldn't. Gray expected everyone to battle like him, slow and methodical. Cynthia would have to be different, she decided. She would have to be the loose cannon. She had studied his previous battles. Paul's brute force strategy wouldn't work. Josh's, well, he got crushed before he could use a strategy. And Wallace tried to play Gray's tempo game. He got crushed worse than Josh.

"GARCHOMP! DRACO METEOR!" She hoped this would work.

"Oooookay, full power it is then. Magnezone, Zap Cannon!"

Cynthia raised her hand high into the air, preparing to call the next plan of attack. Before she could however, she paused in confusion as Magnezone rotated 50 degrees and shot the Zap Cannon… nowhere near Garchomp at all.

"Wha-?"

"Alright, Gyro Ball!" Gray called out what may as well have been a death sentence as Magnezone slammed its magnets together and started twirling them, before rotating its body quickly, causing him to become a blur.

Cynthia's watched in awe as the Zap Cannon continued travelling upwards, into the direct path of the Draco Meteor. At first, nothing. Then, a massive BOOM!

The stadium shook from the explosion, and the crowd screamed. The supervisors quickly rushed into action, sending out psychic Pokemon to use Barrier over the crowd from the falling debris.

Magnezone rushed forward, and she snapped out of her stupor in time to call: "Dragon Rush!"

Garchomp slammed its mighty foot down and roared. It had travelled with Cynthia since it was just a Gible, and the very beginning of her journey as a trainer. It had helped forge her into the trainer, no, the CHAMPION that she was today, and it was not about to let her down. Razor sharp claws gleamed as the dragon Pokemon readied itself for the onslaught.

The ensuing shockwave blew Cynthia's hair back and she shielded her eyes from the wind. Whipping her head around, she was relieved to see Garchomp straining to hold Magnezone's whirling metallic death move just out of reach of the dragon's neck.

Gray rose a singular eyebrow. _Interesting._ Gazing out onto the battlefield, he saw something that made him smile. While Cynthia didn't realize, Garchomp was taking damage from holding Magnezone back. He had faith in his pokemon, but assuming that Magnezone would be able to take out Cynthia's fresh Garchomp after Spiritomb and Roserade… that wasn't having faith. That was being a fool. Besides, it would be more of a challenge like this.

"Alright!" Cynthia cheered, "Garchomp, Seismic Toss and Iron Tail!" Roaring, Garchomp threw Magnezone into the ground with a loud metallic _BANG._

"Metal Sound!" Gray called across the battlefield.

A horrible screeching started to emanate from Magnezone before being cut off with a loud crash as the massive dragon slammed all its might into the downed Pokemon. It groaned, before another huge crash came, and Garchomp slammed its tail down again. And again. And again.

"Keep going!" Cynthia called. She wasn't sadistic. She knew that Gray's pokemon was tough. More than tough, he was better than anyone she'd ever faced. Except maybe one. But that was irrelevant for now. He had gotten her attention, for sure. Her eyes narrowed. She was taking this seriously, now.

Gray, unmoving, stood as his magnezone was hit again and again by Cynthia's pokemon, making no attempt to recall his mortally wounded pokemon.

"What kind of trainer are you!?" Cynthia shouted across the battlefield at him as the clanging sounds continued, "Recall your pokemon!" Gray only tilted his head at her and frowned.

"Then tell Grachomp to stop attacking?" Cynthia waved her garchomp back grudgingly, keeping her hand up.

She dropped it again as Magnezone twitched slightly and began lifting itself off the ground, and Garchomp lept upon the magnezone once more.

"Make sure it's completely down!" Cynthia shouted hysterically. _Why was it so hard to take out ONE of his pokemon?_ She shuddered, imagining what other horrific pokemon Gray probably had in his possession. He wasn't even ordering it to do anything and it was this hard to take down!

Garchomp stepped away from the battered hunk of metal, no longer resembling any sort of pokemon. It screeched a few times before falling silent.

Cynthia looked over at Gray inquiringly, and Gray nodded.

"GRAY'S POKEMON HAS FALLEN! CYNTHIA WINS ROUND #3!"

The crowd cheered loudly, their love for Cynthia revitalized by her recent victory. Unbeknownst to them however, Cynthia was sweating. Metaphorically and physically. It was hot under this damn sun.

Her hand twitched towards her stash of Full Restores, but her eyes brushed over the "NO ITEMS ALLOWED" signs plastered literally every 10 feet along the stadium walls, and thought better of it.

Wisps of smoke began to gather at the corners of the arena, and Gray's eyes were drawn towards it. Out of curiosity, he watched the smoke curl up the supports to the announcer's booth like creeping vines. _Wait a second, that's not natural..._

His eyes narrowed. _It couldn't be._ Gray held his hand up in Cynthia's direction, implying she should halt her advances.

Cynthia looked around wildly, but kept her eyes on Gray. It would be just her luck for him to pull some sort of nasty trick by distracting her. However, he seemed to have his attention on the curling smoke. The crowd began to murmur as the clouds beginning to fill the arena became denser, making it hard to see even five feet in front..

"IT LOOKS LIKE SOME SORT OF FOG HAS STARTED TO COVER THE ARENA! COULD THIS BE PART OF THE TRAINER'S STRATEGY?" The announcer boomed, and then quickly muted his microphone. "This isn't us, right?" He turned to his colleague.

"Beats me," his coworker shrugged. "They never tell me anything that goes on around here. Hell, half the time I'm not even announcing. They let you do everything, remember?"

The announcer snorted and turned back to the match.

Gray was confused. He wasn't anywhere near Kanto. It better not be who-

His thoughts were perfectly interrupted by two evil laughs, one male and one female, emanating from the smoke's depths. A third joined the cacophony of laughs.

"Who's there?!" Cynthia called from somewhere in front of him, and he heard the telltale noise of another pokeball expanding, ready to fight. He didn't even bother.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves…"

"Prepare for trouble…"

"And make it double…"

Cynthia thought that it sounded familiar, but was startled out of her thoughts by a loud slapping noise from Gray's general direction as his hand was acquaintanced with his face for what seemed like the hundredth time this tournament.

 _Wow,_ Gray thought exasperatedly. _Even here, they still manage to find me. Somehow, someway. Whatever, I'll let either my "friends" or Cynthia deal with them. Plus, this is probably the worst plan they could have had. When the smoke clears, everyone will see them and they'll be blasted off pronto._

"To protect the world from devastation…"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love…"

"To extend our reach to the stars above…" Gray sighed as a nostalgia filled him, followed by annoyance, then amusement.

"Gray! Are you alright?!"

He thought he could just make out Willow's voice from the crowd, concernedly calling his name. _That feels familiar,_ he thought. _It's nice to have someone care again._

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth! That right!" They finished off the motto that Ash had heard almost a thousand times with their usual over exaggerated poses. Well, he assumed they did. He still couldn't see them in the ridiculous amount of smoke they had poured into every crack and crevice of the arena. Come to think of it, how many dollars in debt are they just from having smoke every single time?

Cynthia stood dumbstruck, still looking confusedly in every direction except the one they currently occupied.

Gray chuckled. He'd dealt with these buffoons for literal years. He'd let someone else take them down a notch or two. Besides, it wasn't worth wasting his time, or his Pokemon's. And, if he left Cynthia to take care of them, she might be weakened by the ensuing predictable battle for whatever Pokemon they had their eye on this time.

 _Hey, wait a second,_ he thought suddenly, a cold drop of sweat making its way down his neck, and not from the heat. _If they interrupt the battle, they'll cancel the fight and have to reschedule…_

Gray's foot tapped impatiently and he rapidly stroked his stubby chin as he thought about what that would mean. He knew there was something planned... _I have a reservation with Willow at Guchos in two hours!_ She would not be pleased. _I have to take care of this NOW._

"Greninja. Show them exactly what happens when they cross me." The water ninja burst out of the pokeball, giving a cry of agreement.

"Use hydro pump." The spray of water jetted out of Greninja's mouth. Briefly, he saw Jessie and James reach for their pokeballs but the beam hit them before they had a chance. The force of the impact sent them flying backwards, lifting them off their feet.

"Grab them and throw them." The smoke had dissipated slightly due to the force of the water, so everyone saw a shape blur through the smoke at mach speed. When the smoke fully cleared and the arena was visible, the only new addition was Greninja. Gray turned around and grinned at Willow.

"Wh-what just happened?" The announcer sputtered.

"What just happened?" Cynthia looked around confusedly.

"What?" Gray said simply.

The announcer's eyes roamed the arena and saw Greninja standing on the field.

Gray started as the announcer's voice boomed at full volume again; "WELL, IT LOOKS LIKE THE SMOKE HAS CLEARED. SORRY ABOUT THAT FOLKS, MUST HAVE BEEN AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE. ARE BOTH TRAINERS READY TO RESUME THE BATTLE?"

Under his breath, he muttered to his partner: "Are you sure that was us?" His co-worker nodded and shrugged.

Gray let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when he heard the bell chime three times to signal the battle's resuming. _Nice, my plan worked._

Cynthia shook herself. Her thoughts were racing. _I need to beat Gray. What was up with that smoke? Was that his doing? I should be careful about his greninja. I haven't seen what it's capable of. If it is anything like his magnezone, I'll need to be careful._

Brock's and Misty's eyes narrowed. Well, Misty's did. Brock's already were. That smoke had looked familiar. All of Ash's friends knew it was team rocket the second they heard the motto. But why were they here? They had only seen them a few times after Ash had left. And, surprisingly, they hadn't caused much trouble. The last time they saw them was a year ago, eating at a restaurant, looking quite depressed. Definitely something to figure out later. For now though, they had a tournament match to watch…

AN 2: This story is almost over! So for our next project, we will be working on a seven deadly sins story. I know, no where near pokemon or anything we have written before, but I just finished reading the entire manga. And I feel like writing a story about it. It's gonna be an AU. This story will have about another 2-3 chapters before it is done. Until next time!


	14. Author's Note

Hey guys. Average Mailman here. So the next chapter is going to take a long time to come out, if anyone cares about this story anymore. I just started high school so I have a bunch of projects and am very busy with basketball and hw. The other author is also very busy. The story will be finished. Eventually.


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